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THE RADIO DETECTIVES 



BY A. HYATT VERRILL 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

THE RADIO DETECTIVES UNDER 
THE SEA 

THE RADIO DETECTIVES 
SOUTHWARD BOUND 

THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS 

THE BOOK OF THE MOTOR BOAT 

ISLES OF SPICE AND PALM 



D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
Publishers New York 



200 B 




"help! send for help!" 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

BY 

A. HYATT VERRILL 

AUTHOR OF "THE DEEP SEA HUNTERS," "ISLES OF SPICE 
AND PALM," "THE BOOK OF THE MOTOR BOAT," ETC. 




D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

NEW YORK : : 1922 : : LONDON 



COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 



PRINTED IN THE WNITED STATES OF AMEBICA 



©CI.A677697 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTEB 



PAeX 



I. Tom Takes Up Radio 1 

II. Mysterious Messages 16 

III. The Radio Detectives 36 

IV. The Boys Draw a Blank 57 

V. The Under-sea Wireless 82 

VI. The Red Menace 98 

VII. The Cry from the Depths . . . .121 

VIII. Astounding Discoveries 139 

IX. The Battle beneath the River . . .158 

X. Radio Wins 177 

XI. Henderson Has an Interview .... 194 

XII. The Confession 211 

XIII. Rawlins' Proposal 230 

T 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

CHAPTER I 
TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

OH, Dad! I've made a new set," cried Tom, 
as he entered the dining room. 
"That so. Son?" replied Mr. Pauling 
interestedly. "Seems to me you boys do nothing 
but junk your sets as fast as you make them and 
build others. Does this one work better than the 
last?" 

"It's a peacherino!" declared Tom enthusiasti- 
cally. "Just wait till you see it and listen to the 
music coming in." 

"I'll come up after dinner," his father assured 
him. "Let me know when the fun begins. I'vei 
some papers to go over in the library first." 

Throughout the meal the talk was all of radio, 
in which Tom and his boy friends had become 
madly interested and in which Tom's father and 
mother had encouraged him. 

"Go to it, Tom," his father had said when the 
1 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

boy had glowingly expatiated on the wonderful 
things he had heard on a friend's instrument and 
had asked his father's permission to get a set. 
"I'm glad you're interested in it," he had con- 
tinued. "It's going to he a big thing in the future 
and the more you learn about it the better. But 
begin at the beginning, Tom. Don't be satisfied 
merely with buying instruments and using them. 
Learn the whole thing from the bottom up and use 
your mechanical ability to build instruments and 
to make improvements. Wish they'd had some- 
thing as fascinating when I was a kid." 

Tom had lost no time in availing himself of his 
father's permission, and of the roll of bills which 
had accompanied it, and there was no prouder or 
more excited boy in Greater New York than Tom 
Pauling when he triumphantly brought home his 
little crystal receiving set and exhibited it to his 
parents. 

"I can't understand how a little box with a few 
nickel-plated screws and some knobs can do all 
the things you say," was his mother's comment. 
"But then," she added, "I never could understand 
anything mechanical or electrical. Even a phono- 

2 



TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

graph or an electric light is all a mystery to me." 

Mr. Pauling looked the instrument over care- 
fully and listened attentively to Tom's graphic ex- 
planation of detectors, tuners, condensers, etc. 

"H-m-m," he remarked, "I guess I'll have to 
take a back seat now. Son. You evidently have a 
pretty good grip on the fundamentals. Sorry I 
can't help you any, but it's all Greek to me, I ad- 
mit." 

"Oh, it's all mighty simple," Tom assured him. 
"Frank's coming over this afternoon and we're go- 
ing to put up the aerial and then you and mother 
can hear the music and songs from Newark to- 
night." 

But despite the fact that Mrs. Pauling declared 
it the most remarkable thing she had ever seen 
or heard, and his father complimented him, Tom 
was far from satisfied with his first set. He didn't 
like the idea of being obliged to sit with head 
phones clamped to his ears in order to hear the 
music from the big broadcasting stations; he felt 
that it was mighty unsatisfactory for only one per- 
son to hear the sounds at one time and he soon 
found that despite every effort he was continually 

3 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

interrupted by calls and messages from near-by 
amateur stations. 

Being of a naturally inventive and mechanical 
mind and remembering his father's advice to try 
to improve matters, he spent all his spare time 
studying the radio magazines, haunting the stores 
where radio supplies and instruments were sold 
and arguing about and discussing various devices 
and sets with his boy friends. Hardly a day 
passed that he did not arrive at his home carrying 
some mysterious package or bundle. Accom- 
panied by his chum Frank, from the time school 
was over until late in the evening he kept himself 
secluded in his den while faint sounds of hammer- 
ing or of animated conversation might have been 
heard within. 

"What's all the mystery, Son?" his father had 
asked on one occasion. "Going to spring some 
big invention on an unsuspecting world?" 

Tom laughed. "Not quite. Dad," he replied, 
"but I'm going to give you and mother a surprise 
pretty soon." 

When at last all was ready and his parents were 
invited to Tom's holy of holies they were indeed 

4 



TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

surprised. Upon a small table were various in- 
struments and devices and a seeming tangle of 
wires, while, tucked away on a bookshelf, was the 
little crystal set which had so recently been Tom's 
pride and joy. 

And still greater was their surprise when, after 
busying himself over the instruments, the faint 
sounds of music filled the room, coming mysteri- 
ously from the apparent odds and ends upon the 
table. 

"It's all homemade," Tom had explained 
proudly. "But it works. Frank and I rigged it 
up just as an experiment. Now I'm going to re- 
assemble it and put it in a case and have a regular 
set." 

"Wait a minute, Tom," his father had inter- 
rupted. "You'll have to explain a bit. If that 
lot of stuff can give so much better results than 
the set you bought, why didn't you make it in the 
first place, and what's the difference anyway?" 

"Well, you see. Dad," Tom tried to explain, "I 
had to start at the bottom as you said and a crys- 
tal set's the bottom. This is a vacuum tube set. 
Those things like little electric lights are the tubes 

5 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

and they're the heart of the whole thing, and I've a 
one-step amplifier and that has to have another 
tube. I didn't have enough pocket money to buy 
everything so Frank lent me some of his. You see 
it's this way " 

"Never mind about the technicalities," laughed 
his father. "As I said before, go to it. Get what 
you need and keep busy. It's a fine thing for you 
boys. Now turn her on again, or whatever you 
call it, and let's hear some more music." 

From that time, Tom's progress was rapid al- 
though, as his father had jokingly remarked, the 
boy's chief occupation appeared to be building 
sets one day only to tear them down and recon- 
struct them the next. 

Tom's room had assumed the appearance of an 
electrical supply shop. Tools, wire, sheet brass, 
bakelite, hard rubber knobs, odds and ends of 
metal, coils and countless other things had taken 
the places of books, skates, baseball bats and 
papers, and the fiction magazines had given way 
to radio periodicals, blue prints and diagrams. 
Mrs. Pauling was in despair and complained U 
her husband that Tom was making a dreadful mess 

6 



TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

of his room and expressed fears that he might get 
hurt fooling with electricity. 

"Don't you fret over that," her husband had 
advised. "Tom and his friends are having the 
time of their lives. As long as they are learning 
something of value, what does it matter if they 
do keep his room in a mess? Besides, it's clean 
dirt you know — and it's orderly disorder if you 
know what I mean. They're exploring a new 
world and haven't time to look after such trifles 
as having a place for everything and everything 
in its place. That will come later. Just now they 
are fired with the zeal and enthusiasm of great in- 
ventors and scientists. We mustn't interfere with 
them — such feelings come to human beings but 
once in a lifetime. I consider this radio craze the 
best thing for boys that ever occurred. It gives 
them an interest, it's educational, it keeps them oflf 
the street and occupies their brains and hands at 
the same time. Do you know, if I didn't have my 
time so fully occupied, I believe I'd get bitten by 
the bug myself. Besides, they may really dis- 
cover something worth while. I was talking to 
Henderson of our staff to-day — he had charge of 

7 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

our radio work during the war — and he tells me 
some of the best inventions in radio have been 
made by amateurs — quite by accident too. I ex- 
pect Tom knows that and that's what makes the kids 
so keen on the subject — it's a wonderful thought to 
feel you may stumble on some little thing that will 
revolutionize a great science at any moment." 

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Fred," agreed 
Tom's mother resignedly. "But I do wish it were 
possible to have boys amuse themselves without 
tracking shavings all over the halls and burning 
holes in their clothes and having grimy fingers." 

But Tom's mother need not have worried. 
"Gradually order came out of chaos. As the 
boys progressed, they found that the accumula- 
tion of odds and ends and the disorder in- 
terfered with their work; many experimental in- 
struments and devices had been discarded and 
were now tossed into a junk box in the closet; a 
neat work table with the tools handily arranged 
had been rigged up and Tom and Frank had 
developed a well-equipped and orderly little 
workshop with the completed instruments on an 
improvised bench under the window. 

8 



TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Pauling had noticed the grad- 
ual improvement, as from time to time they had 
been summoned by Tom to witness demonstrations 
of the latest products of the boys' brains and hands, 
and both parents congratulated the boys on their 
handiwork and the strides they had made. So, on 
the night when Tom had assured his father that 
his latest set was a "peacherino," the two grown- 
ups entered a room which, as Mr. Pauling ex- 
pressed it, reminded him of a wireless on a 
ship. 

And then, after Tom with the glowing eyes and 
flushed face of an inventor and the pride of a show- 
man, had exhibited his latest achievement and had 
explained its mysteries in terms which were utterly 
unintelligible to his parents, they sat spellbound 
as the strains of a military band fairly filled the 
room. 

"Fine!" declared Mr. Pauling when the concert 
ended. "You have got a *peacherino' as you call 
it." 

*'0h, that's nothing," declared Tom deprecat- 
ingly. "I can get Pittsburgh and I can get spark 
messages from Cuba and Canada, and last night I 

9 V 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

picked up a message from Balboa. I'll hear Eng- 
land and France before I'm satisfied." 

"Bully!" exclaimed his father. "Tell you what 
I'll do. I'm oflf to Cuba and the Bahamas, Mon- 
day, you know. I'll radio from the ship on the way 
down and after I get there you can see if you 
can pick up my messages direct and can talk back." 

"Oh, I can't do that, yet," declared Tom. "I 
haven't a sending set. You have to get a license 
for that, but I'm going to get at it right away. It 
will be fine to be able to hear you. I'll bet I can 
get your messages from Cuba and Nassau. Say, 
it will be almost like hearing you talk." 

"How shall I address them?" chuckled his 
father. "Tom Pauling, The Air?" 

"Gee! I hadn't thought of that," ejaculated 
Tom. "I haven't any call letters — only sending 
stations have them — I've got it! When you send 
a message, just address it as if it were a regular 
message and then I'll know it's for me. And send 
them the same time every time — ^then I'll be sure 
to be here and waiting to get them." 

"Righto," agreed his father. "I'll be sending 
a good many official messages, I expect, and I can 

10 



TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

get them all off together each day — say 7:45. 
How will that be?" 

"That'll be fine," assented Tom. "I'll be here 
at half-past seven every night listening. Say, 
Dad, do you suppose those smuggler fellows use 
radio?" 

"Why, I don't know; what made you ask?" 

"Oh, I just happened to think of it," replied 
Tom. "I guess your speaking of sending official 
messages and starting for Cuba and the Bahamas 
just put it in my head." 

"Well, if we don't find how they're getting liquor 
into the States by wholesale pretty quick, I'll begin 
to think they're sending the booze in by radio," 
laughed Mr. Pauling. "It's the most mysterious 
thing we've been up against yet. Can't get a clue. 
Perhaps they are using radio to warn one another, 
or maybe they're onto our -codes. Suppose you 
keep track of any odd messages you hear, Tom. 
I don't suppose there's anything in it, but it will 
give you another interest and one never knows 
what may happen through chance or accident. 
Remember that coup I told you about that we made 
during the war — that meaningless message that 

11 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

passed all the censors and that, by pure accident, 
led to the capture of the worst lot of German 
plotters in the country?" 

But Frank had not heard the story and so, from 
radio, the conversation drifted to Mr. Pauling's ex- 
periences as an ofl&cer of the Department of Justice 
during the war and from that to his present prob- 
lem of tracing to its source the mysterious influx 
of liquor which was flooding New York and other 
ports despite every eff'ort of the government to stop 
it. 

It was on this work that he was leaving for the 
West Indies, and long after he and Mrs. Pauling 
had left the room, Tom and Frank remained, talk- 
ing earnestly, and with boyish imagination dis- 
cussing the possibilities of aiding the government 
through picking up some stray information from 
the air by means of their instruments. 

"We ought to have better sets," declared Tom. 
"These are all right for getting the broadcasted 
entertainments and spark signals, but we can't get 
the long waves from the big stations. And we 
don't always get farther than Arlington or Pitts- 
burgh with this. Last night, we heard Balboa, but 

12 



TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

the night before that we couldn't get Havana. If 
we're going to hear Dad from Nassau or Cuba we 
want a set we can depend upon." 

"I'll tell you what we'll do," replied Frank. 
"Let's put everything that we both have together 
and have a fine set here in your room. I'll bring 
my stuff down and we can work together — have 
duplicate sets and everything — and I'll just keep 
that little old set of mine so I can use it when I 
happen to be home." 

"That's a good idea," agreed Tom, "Dad's so in- 
terested in our work I can spend a lot more money 
on instruments and he won't mind and school will 
soon be over and we can devote all our time to it. 
Gosh, I bet we have the best sets of any boys in 
the whole of New York! Say, won't it be great 
when we can hear messages from England and 
Germany and France?" 

"Yes, and we want to get busy on a sending set 
too. It's twice as much fun when we can talk to 
others as well as hear them. And say! my folks 
are going to Europe next month. If your mother 
and father don't mind I could stay here with you." 

'^That's bully! Of course mother won't mind 
13 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

and Dad will be glad to have you," declared Tom. 
"We're not going any place this summer and so 
we can give all our vacation to radio. Say, we 
may make some big discovery or invention. I 
was reading the other day about how many things 
there are to be done in radio yet and the fellow 
that wrote it said he believed some of the big 
things would be discovered by boys or beginners 
accidentally." 

Mrs. Pauling was very glad to have Frank plan 
to stay with Tom while his parents were absent 
and for several days the two boys were busy pack- 
ing up Frank's radio outfits and carrying them 
to Tom's house. 

When at last everything was there the boys had 
a veritable treasure trove of materials, for Frank 
had not been stinted in the amount he could spend 
on good tools, supplies and instruments and, while 
he did not possess the mechanical or inventive abil- 
ity of Tom, yet he wag a very careful and painstak- 
ing worker and everything he had was of the best. 

Tom, on the other hand, preferred to make 
everything himself and, although his father was 
willing to let him have any sum within reason to 

14 



TOM TAKES UP RADIO 

carry on his radio work, he spent most of the money 
for tools and supplies and had built a number of 
special instruments which even Frank admitted 
were big improvements over ready-made devices. 
In addition, he had a very complete library of 
radio books as well as scrapbooks filled with clip- 
pings from the radio columns of the various news- 
papers and periodicals. Hence the two boys made 
most excellent partners for carrying on their ex- 
periments and building their sets. Fortunately, 
too, they were not the type of boys who soon be- 
come tired of a subject and take up one fad after 
another and, while they were both strong, red- 
blooded, out-of-door boys, always ready for the 
most strenuous games, long hikes or hunting and 
fishing, they found radio so much more fascina- 
ting than football, baseball or other sports that 
practically everything else had been abandoned. 



CHAPTER II 
MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

FOR the next few days the boys were very 
busy perfecting^ their instruments and, 
when Mr. Pauling bade Tom and his 
mother good-by and sailed southward, Tom as- 
sured him that he would be able to pick up any 
messages he sent. 

"Maybe I'll surprise you by sending a message," 
he declared. "I'm going to apply for a license next 
week and make a sending set. Of course it won't 
be able to send clear to Cuba or Nassau, but freak 
messages do go long* distances sometimes and any- 
way, I can get in* touch with your ship before you 
reach port coming back." 

"Great!" exclaimed his father heartily. "And 
don't forget about stray messages — ^you may help 
us out yet. I spoke to Henderson about your idea 
that the bootleggers were using radio and he says 
he should not be a bit surprised. They're right up 
to date in their methods, you know." 

16 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

That evening, Tom and Frank hurried to their 
sets promptly at 7:30 accompanied by Mrs. Paul- 
ing who seemed as interested as the boys in the re- 
sult of their first attempt to pick up a message in- 
tended for them. She was rather disappointed, 
however, when Tom clamped on his phones and 
told her she wouldn't be able to hear anything. 

"You see," he explained, "if the message comes 
in, it will be just code signal — dots and dashes in 
International Morse — and wouldn't mean anything 
to you and I might miss it if I used the loud 
speaker." 

Slowly the minutes slipped by. From out of 
the silent air came various sounds to the boys' im- 
patient ears — little buzzing dots and dashes from 
local stations; the faint sounds of a phonograph 
from some amateur's radiophone; fragments of 
speech from a broadcasting station. Carefully 
the two waiting, expectant boys tuned their instru- 
ments, for they had taken the precaution of asking 
the wireless operator on the ship what wave length 
he used and with their sets tuned as nearly to this 
as possible they cut out the amateur senders with 
their short wave lengths and the broadcasting 

17 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

stations with their evening entertainments on 360 
meter waves and heard only the meaningless or un- 
interesting Morse messages passing from ships to 
shore or vice versa. 

Over and over Tom and Frank glanced anxiously 
at the little nickel-plated clock ticking merrily on 
its shelf, until at last the hands pointed to 7:45 and 
the boys fairly thrilled with excitement. Would 
they hear the message from the speeding ship? 
Would they pick up that one message that they 
were expecting? Would they, in a moment more, 
be listening to the dots and dashes that represented 
Mr. Pauling's words? Neither boy was yet ex- 
pert at reading Morse if sent rapidly, but the wire- 
less man aboard the Havcaia had laughingly agreed 
to send Mr. Pauling's messages slowly and the boys 
were not worried on that score. 

Suddenly, to Tom's ears, came a sharp buzz — 
faint and blurred, and with trembling fingers he 
tuned his set, adjusted the variable condenser and 
as the short, staccato sounds grew sharp, loud and 
clear he knew that the long-hoped-for message was 
coming to his ears. "Dah, dab dah dab, dab dah, 
dee dah dah dee, dee dah, dee dee dah, dee dah 

18 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

dee dee, dee dee, dah dee, dah dah dee," came 
the dots and dashes, sent slowly as if by an ama- 
teur and mentally Tom translated them. Yes, 
there was no doubt of it, TOM PAULING 
were the words the dots and dashes spelled and 
Tom's heart beat a trifle faster and his face flushed 
with excitement as he heard his own name coming 
out of space and realized that, across a hundred 
miles and more of tossing sea, his father was talk- 
ing to him and steadily he jotted down the letters 
as they buzzed in dots and dashes through the air 
from the distant ship. 

"Hurrah!" he fairly yelled, as with the final 
"dee dah dee dah dee" the operator signified that 
the message was finished. "Hurrah! I got it. 
See, here 'tis. Mother!" 

Frank also had received the message on his set 
and the two compared the letters they had written 
down. 

"Of course we made some mistakes," explained 
Tom as his mother puzzled over the unpunctuated, 
apparently meaningless letters. "See," he con- 
tinued, "you have to separate the letters into words 
and sentences and this one should be an "N" in- 

19 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

stead of an "A" and I guess this is a "D" instead 
of a "B," Frank's got it that way. One's a dash 
and three dots and the other's a dash and two 
dots." 

As he spoke, Tom was busily copying the let- 
ters and forming words and presently showed his 
mother the finished message. "That's it," he an- 
nounced proudly. "Just think of Dad talking to 
us — and he'll do it every night all the way down 
and after he gets there. Gosh! It's funny to 
think we can hear from him that way. Say, isn't 
radio great?" 

"But I thought you could hear him talking," said 
his mother in rather disappointed tones. "He 
could send messages that way by the regular radio 
companies or by cable." 

"Of course he could," agreed Tom somewhat 
disturbed because his mother was not more enthu- 
siastic over his achievement. "But you see the 
fun is in getting it ourselves this way. It wouldn't 
be any sport to have the messages brought in an 
envelope like ordinary telegrams. Gee! I just 
wish we could hear him talk over the phones. 
Some of the ships have talked with the shore far- 

20 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

ther away than he is, but I guess the Havana* s 
radio isn't up-to-date." 

"I think it's fine and splendid of you boys to be 
able to do this," declared his mother. "What I 
meant was, that I had expected to hear your 
father's voice and I really was disappointed when 
I found it was so different." 

"Well, I'm going to fix a set to talk back to him," 
said Tom. "And just as soon as I get the sending 
set done we'll get to work and make a better re- 
ceiving set, won't we, Frank?" 

"You bet!" agreed Frank. "Perhaps by the 
time your father is on the way back we can really 
talk to him." 

"Now let's have some music," suggested Tom, 
and for the next hour they all listened to the broad- 
casting station's program as the loud speaker filled 
the room with the sounds of music, singing, 
speeches and news. 

For the next three nights the two boys picked up 
Mr. Pauling's messages regularly and were as 
proud as peacocks when they managed to get the 
first message from Havana telling of his safe 
arrival in Cuba. And by their enthusiastic studies 

21 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

and the practice they gained by deciphering the 
messages, the boys were successful in passing the 
required examination and proudly exhibited their 
license to maintain and operate a sending station. - 

It was a red letter day in their lives when they 
at last had the transmitting set in working order 
and flashed a message into the night, to have it 
promptly answered by an unknown boy in Garden 
City. Each night, too, they sent out messages di- 
rected to their father in the vain hope that, by 
some chance or by the same mysterious combina- 
tion of conditions which had wafted other mes- 
sages to vast distances beyond the range of the in- 
struments, their words might be picked up in 
Havana or Nassau; but no reply came and at last 
they gave up in despair. 

Then, their sending set being no longer a nov- 
elty, the boys set diligently to work on other mat- 
ters and worked early and late. 

"What on earth is that?" asked Tom's mother, 
when finally the new idea had assumed concrete 
form and she was invited to witness a demonstra- 
tion. "It looks like some sort of a huge bird- 
cage," she continued as she seated herself and 

22 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

glanced at the wooden framework wound with wire 
that stood on a small table. 

"Well, I don't suppose you can understand," 
replied Tom, with the superior air of one who is 
master of an art beyond ordinary comprehension, 
"but ril try to explain. That's a loop aerial." 

"But I thought the aerial was that wire clothes- 
line-like affair on the roof," objected Mrs. Paul- 
ing. "You see," she laughed, "I am beginning 
to learn a little." 

Tom grinned. "Oh, yes, that's an aerial, too," 
he replied. "But this is another kind. With 
this we don't need any ground or lead-ins or light- 
ning switches. And it's directional too. That is," 
he hastened to explain, "by turning it one way 
or another we can pick up signals from certain 
directions and not from others. Some people call 
them compass aerials and they're used on ships 
for locating other vessels or for finding their way. 
And besides, they cut out a lot of static." 

"Now please, Tom, what is all this you're talk- 
ing about? What is static?" 

"Well that's mighty hard to explain," said Tom, 
scratching his head reflectively. "It's a sort of 

23 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

electricity in the air — lots of it around when there 
are thunderstorms and lightning." 

"Lightning!" exclaimed his mother. "Do be 
careful, fooling with all these things, Tom. I'm 
always afraid you'U get a fearful shock or some- 
thing." 

"Nonsense," laughed Tom. "Static doesn't 
hurt any one and lightning won't do any harm. 
An aerial is just like a lightning-rod and if it's 
struck the lightning is just carried down to the 
ground harmlessly; but this loop aerial's different. 
Now let's hear how it works." 

Adjusting the instrimients and attaching the 
loud-speaker, Tom slowly turned the cagelike 
affair about and suddenly, as it faced the west, 
the sounds of music burst out from the horn. 

"There 'tis!" cried Tom, exultantly. "That's 
Newark. Now, see here." As he spoke, he 
swung the loop aerial to one side, and instantly, 
the music died out. "Now, listen carefully," he 
continued and turned the loop slowly around until, 
somewhat fainter, the sounds of a human voice 
came from the loud-speaker. "That's Pitts- 
burgh," declared Tom. "Now you see how it 

24 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

works. If it's turned towards Newark we get 
Newark and if towards Pittsburgh we get that.'* 

"Yes, it's all very interesting," admitted his 
mother. "But what advantage is it? You used 
to hear both Newark and Pittsburgh with the 
aerial on the roof." 

"Oh, it's no advantage for ordinary work," re- 
plied Tom. "But it's a fine thing in some ways. 
Now, for instance, if we heard a fellow's message 
and didn't know where it came from we could tell 
by turning this back and forth until we got his 
direction. Then, if we wanted to locate him ex- 
actly, we could put it up somewhere else and in 
that way we could find out just where he was. 
Frank and I have a particular scheme in hand, 
but that's a secret and I'm not ready to tell it 
yet." 

His mother laughed. "I'm not a bit curious," 
she declared. "I suppose some day I'll wake up 
to find you two boys have astonished the world." 

But had Frank and Tom told Mrs. Pauling what 
their secret was she would have been both curious 
and surprised. Several times within the preced- 
ing weeks the boys, listening at their instruments, 

25 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

had received messages which they could not locate. 
At first they had given no heed to these, thinking 
they were merely from some amateur, but when, 
after repeated requests for the unknown's call let- 
ters, no answer was received and the messages 
abruptly ceased, the two boys began to be cur- 
ious. 

"There's something mighty funny about him," 
declared Frank. "Every time we answer him or 
ask a question he shuts up like a clam. Say, Tom, 
maybe he's a crook or a bootlegger." 

"More likely some amateur sending without a 
license and afraid the government inspector will 
get after him," suggested Tom. "But I would 
like to find out who it is." 

A few days later Frank, who was poring over 
the latest issue of a radio magazine, uttered an 
exclamation. "Gosh! here's the scheme," he 
cried. "Now we can find out who that mysteri- 
ous, chap is." 

"What's the big idea?" queried Tom, who was 
busy making a new vario-coupler. 

"Loop aerial," replied his chum. "Here's an 
article all about it. It says they're used aboard 

26 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

ships to find the location of other vessels and are 
called compass aerials." 

Tom dropped his work and hurried to Frank's 
side. 

"Well," he remarked, after a few moments' 
study of the article and the diagrams, "I don't 
see how that would work in our case. It says 
one ship can find another or can work its way into 
port by using the loop aerial like a compass, but 
the trouble is the ship's moving and so the thing 
will work, but we can't go running around New 
York City or the state with a set in one hand and a 
big loop aerial in the other." 

"No," admitted Frank rather regretfully, "but 
we can tell in which direction his station is." 

"Yes, and it will be fun to make one and experi- 
ment with it," agreed Tom, "especially as the ar- 
ticle says the thing cuts out static and interfer- 
ences and it's getting on towards warm weather 
now when the air will be full of static." 

"Well, let's make one then," suggested Frank. 

As a result, the boys had constructed their loop 
aerial and a special set to go with it and the very 
first time they tested the odd affair they were over- 

27 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

joyed at the result. Again they had picked up the 
messages which had aroused their curiosity and, 
by turning the loop one way and then another, 
they were soon convinced that the sender had a 
station to the southeast of their own. 

"Well, that's settled," announced Tom, "and the 
only things southeast of here are the East side, the 
river and Brooklyn. That fellow is not far away 
— he's using a very short wave and his messages 
are strong. I'll bet he's right here in New York." 

"I guess you're right," agreed Frank, "but that 
doesn't do much good. There's an awful lot of 
the city southeast from here." 

"Sure there is," said Tom, "but, after all, what 
do we care. I still think he's just some unlicensed 
chap — probably some kid over on the East Side 
who can't pass an examination or get a license 
and is just having a little fun on the quiet." 

This conversation took place two days before 
Tom received his father's message telling of his 
safe arrival in Cuba and no more messages from 
"the mysterious stranger were heard until the day 
after Mr. Pauling's message had been received. 

Then, as Tom was listening at the loop aerial 
28 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

set and idly turned the aerial about, he again 
picked up the well-known short-wave messages. 
Heretofore the messages had been meaningless 
sentences in code, dots and dashes which the boys 
out of curiosity had jotted down only to find them 
devoid of any interest — items regarding shipping 
which Tom had declared had been culled from the 
daily shipping lists and were being sent merely for 
practice — and so now, from mere habit, Tom 
wrote down the letters as they came to him over 
the instruments. Suddenly he uttered a surprised 
whistle. 

"Gee Whittaker!" he exclaimed in low tones. 
"Come here, Frank." 

The other hurried to him and as he glanced at 
the pad on the table beside Tom he too gave an 
ejaculation of surprise. The letters which Tom 
had jotted down were as follows: LEAR P IN 
HAVANA ARRIVED YESTERDAY GET BUSY. 

"They are rum runners!" cried Tom as the sig- 
nals ceased. 

"Gosh, I believe they are!" agreed Frank. 
"But of course," he added, "it may not mean your 
father by T' and we don't know the first part of 

29 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

the message. Maybe they were just talking about 
a ship — that 'lear' might have been something 
about a ship clearing for some place." 

"You are a funny one," declared Tom. "Here 
you've been insisting all along that there was some 
deep mystery or plot behind these messages and 
I've said it was just some amateur and nothing to 
it and now, just as soon as we get a message which 
really means something, you shift around and say 
it's only about some boat." 

"Well, if it's anything secret why do they talk 
plain English?" asked Frank. "That's what 
makes me change my views. When they were 
sending things that sounded like nonsense I 
thought they might be code messages, but now that 
they send things that are so plain it doesn't seem 
mysterious." 

"Yes, there's sense in that argument, I admit," 
replied Tom. "But perhaps there was just as 
much sense in the others — if they are bootleggers. 
Of course as you say, they may not mean anything 
about Dad, but it would be a mighty funny coinci- 
dence if any one or anything else beginning with 
'P' arrived in Havana yesterday and it happened 

30 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

to come in with this message and with a 'get busy' 
after it. I'll bet you, Frank, they're smugglers 
and that's a message to some boat or something 
that the coast's clear and to unload their stuff. 
Let's go down and tell Mr. Henderson about it." 

"No," Frank advised. "He'd probably laugh 
at us and it wouldn't be any use to him anyhow. 
We'll keep the message and all others we hear and 
if anything else is going on we'll get some more 
messages, you can bet. And I've a scheme, Tom. 
I know a fellow down at Gramercy Park and we 
can go down there and set up a loop aerial and 
see if this chap that's talking is still southeast of 
there." 

"That's a bully scheme!" cried Tom with 
enthusiasm. "We can turn radio detectives — 
that'll be great! And if we find he's north or west 
or east of Gramercy Square we can try some other 
place. Probably your friend knows fellows who 
have sets all around that part of the city." 

The next day they visited Frank's friend and 
after making him promise secrecy they divulged 
a part of their plan, omitting, at Tom's suggestion, 
any reference to their suspicions of the messages 

31 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

coming from a gang of bootleggers. Henry fell 
in readily with the idea of locating the messages, 
which he had also heard repeatedly, and was 
deeply interested in the loop aerial. He had an 
excellent set and numerous instruments and sup- 
plies and the three boys soon rigged up a compass 
set in Henry's home. 

"Now, you listen with this and try to pick him 
up," instructed Frank. "Keep turning the aerial 
about in this way and, as soon as you hear him, 
write down what he says. We'll listen too, when- 
ever we have a chance, and will let you know. 
Then, if you haven't picked him up, you can turn 
the loop until you do. Too bad you haven't a 
sending set so you could tell us." 

"But he'll hear you and quit," objected Henry, 
'*and how can I hear you if I don't happen to have 
the loop pointed your way or am listening to this 
fellow?" 

Frank looked puzzled. "Gee!" he ejaculated, "I 
hadn't thought of that. 

"Oh, that's easy," declared Tom. "You'll hear 
us over the other set with the loud-speaker you 
have. That works with a regular aerial and is 

32 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

entirely separate from this set. And we'll arrange 
a code so he won't know what we're talking about. 
Let's see, I guess we'd better use the phone and not 
send dot and dash, we'll just say 'we've got the 
message' and you'll know what it means." 

"No, that's no good," declared Frank. "That's 
not a bit mysterious or exciting. We're radio de- 
tectives, you know. We must have something like 
a password or code or something. Say, let's begin 
with 'loop', then Henry'll know we mean him. 
We'll say 'loop, be ready to receive.' " 

**Yes, and have him know something's wrong 
when we don't begin to send anything," said Tom. 

"I have it!" exclaimed Henry. "Say, 'loop, com- 
ing over,' and then any one'll think you are tell- 
ing me you are coming over here. But say, how'll 
I get your message if I don't sit at my set and 
tune to you?" 

"That's easy," said Frank. "Just as soon as we 
get home to Tom's we'll begin to send and you 
listen and tune until you get us good and loud and 
then mark your knobs so you can set 'em when- 
ever you want to hear us. Then ring us by regular 
phone and tell us it's 0. K." 

33 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Thus, all being arranged, Tom and Frank went 
up town and as soon as they reached Tom's room 
began to send calls for Henry as they had agreed. 
Very soon the telephone bell rang and Tom ran to 
the instrument. 

"It's all right, Frank," he announced as he re- 
turned to the room. "Henry says he got our calls 
finely and has marked his knobs. He's going to 
turn them about and then set them back at the 
marks and we're to call him again. Then if he 
gets us right off he'll know he won't miss us next 
time." 

When, a few minuts later, the phone rang again 
and Henry told Tom that the message had come in 
on the adjusted set the boys felt sure that their 
fellow conspirator would not miss any calls they 
might send him. So, having nothing else to do, 
they worked at another step of amplification for 
their new set, and listened for any signals or mes- 
sages that might come in from the person whom 
they were endeavoring to trail by means of radio. 

Evidently, however, the mysterious stranger had 
no business to transact and no message from him 
was received. When at last they were obliged to 

34 



MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES 

leave for dinner they phoned to Henry who re- 
ported that he had been listening all the after- 
noon, but had heard nothing. 

"We'll get at it again to-night," said Tom. 
"Most of the messages we've heard come in just 
when the broadcasting stations are giving their 
concerts. I'd bet he takes that time so nobody 
will hear him, or pay attention to him. If they're 
all tuned to 360 meters they'd never know he was 
talking, you see, and if they just chanced to hear 
him they'd be too busy with the music to bother 
with him." 

As Tom had suspected, the mysterious mes- 
sages did come in that night and so interesting 
and exciting did they prove to the boys' imaginative 
and suspicious minds that they were thankful 
they had foregone the pleasure of hearing the con- 
cert on the chance of the supposed smugglers 
talking. 



CHAPTER III 
THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

THE instant the boys recognized the long- 
awaited signals, Frank called Henry and 
notified him as agreed and, to their delight 
and satisfaction, the mysterious stranger continued 
to talk, evidently paying no heed to the seemingly 
innocent words of the boys, if indeed he had heard 
them. 

As heretofore, much that was said meant noth- 
ing to the boys, but wisely they jotted every thing 
down nevertheless. However, both Tom and Frank 
were more puzzled than ever, for now that their 
minds were concentrated on the messages they 
suddenly realized that a true conversation, an in- 
terchange of messages, was going on, but, for 
some inexplicable reason, they could hear but 
one of the speakers. It was like listening to one 
individual talking to another over an ordinary tele- 
phone and the boys could merely guess at the 
words of the inaudible speaker. 

36 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Yes, it's all right," came the words on the 
easily recognized short waves, "thirty-eight fifty 
seventy-seven; yes, that's it. Still there. Gave 
them the ha, ha! Azalia. Can't get anything on 
her. How about Colon? French Islands? Sure, 
they're just about crazy. No, no fear of that. 
Good stuff. No, no rough stuff. Expect her at 
same place about the tenth. No, don't hang 
around. Cleared the third. Fifteen seconds west. 
I'll tell him. Good bottom. Good luck! Don't 
worry, we'll see to that. No risk. So long!" 

As the conversation ceased Tom jumped up. 
"Gee!" he exclaimed. "That's the most we've 
heard yet. I wonder if Henry got it." 

Hurrying to the telephone, he was about to call 
Henry when the bell tinkled. "Hello!" — came the 
greeting in Henry's voice as Tom took down the re- 
ceiver. "This is Henry. Say, did you get it?" 

"You bet we did!" Tom assured him gleefully. 
"What did you make out? No, guess you'd bet- 
ter not tell over the phone. We'll be down there 
right away." 

"He's east of here," declared Henry, when Tom 
and Frank reached his home. 

37 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Golly, he must be in Brooklyn or out on the 
river!" exclaimed Tom. "What did you make out 
that he said?" 

Henry showed them the message as he had jotted 
it down and which, with the exception of one oi 
two words, was identical with what they had heard. 

"I couldn't catch some of the words," explained 
Henry. "There was a funny sort of noise — like 
some one talking through a comb with paper on it, 
— the way we used to do when we were little kids 
— say, what's it all about anyway?" 

"We don't know," replied Frank. "Did you 
hear any one else talking or anything?" 

"And, Henry, were the sounds weak or faint 
to you?" put in Tom. 

"Only that queer sound I told you about. 
The words were fine and strong here." 

"Then he's nearer here than he is to us," an- 
nounced Tom. "But I would like to know who the 
other fellow was and what he said and why the 
dickens we can't hear him when we hear this chap. 
Couldn't you make out any of the words that the 
fellow said — those that sounded like talking 
through a comb, I mean?" 

38 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"No, they were just a sort of buzzy mumble," re- 
plied Henry. 

"Well if he's east of here it ought to be easy to 
locate him," remarked Frank. "Do you know any 
fellows around here who have sets, Henry?" 

"Sure there are lots of 'em," Henry assured 
him. "Tom Fleming over at Bellevue has a dandy 
set and there's 'Pink' Bradley down on 19th St., 
and Billy Fletcher up on Lexington Ave., and a 
whole crowd I don't know." 

"Well, let's try it out at Fleming's place next, 
then," cried Frank. "Do you 'spose you can see 
him to-morrow and tell him the scheme? And say, 
ask him if he's heard the same talk." 

"I can phone over to him now — I guess he's 
home," said Henry, "but what's back of all this? 
You fellows aren't so keen just because you 
want to locate this fellow that's been talking, I'll 
bet." 

Tom hesitated, but in a moment his mind was 
made up. 

"I suppose we might just as well tell you," he 
said at last. "But it's a secret and you'll have to 
promise not to tell any one else." 

39 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Henry readily agreed and Tom and Frank told 
him all they knew and what they suspected. 

"Whew!" ejaculated Henry. "I shouldn't be 
surprised if you're right. I couldn't see any 
sense to all that talk about boats and the West 
Indies and numbers, bui I can now. I'll bet those 
numbers were places out at sea — fifteen seconds 
west — and 'Azalia' may be the name of the ship. 
Say, won't it be bully if we can find out some- 
thing — ^radio detectives — Gee, that's great!" 

"Well, go on and call up Fleming," said Frank. 
"Tell him to come over here." 

"He's on the way now," Henry announced when 
he returned to the room. "Are you fellows going 
to let him in on the bootlegger stuff?" 

"Better not," advised Tom. "If he's heard the 
fellow talking we can tell him we're just anxious 
to locate him. We can make a mystery out of 
not hearing the person that was talking back, you 
know." 

"It's a mystery all right enough," put in 
Frank. "If that other chap can hear him, why 
can't we? There's something mighty queer about 
it." 

40 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Search me," replied Tom laconically. "May- 
he he talks on a different wave length." 

"I never thought of that," admitted Frank. 
"'Say, next time they're talking one of us will 
listen while the other tunes to try and pick up the 
other man." 

"And perhaps he's in a different direction," sug- 
gested Henry. "If he is of course we wouldn't 
hear him with our loops pointed towards this fel- 
low. 

"Of course!" agreed Tom. "We have been 
boobs. Just as like as not the one we didn't hear 
is over to the west or the north and we were all 
listening to the southeast. Say, you've got sense, 
old man. Next time we hear this chap we'll nab 
the other one, I bet. Hello! There's the bell." 

Henry hurried from the room and returned pres- 
ently, accompanied by another boy whoip he in- 
troduced as Jim Fleming. Jim was undersized and 
round-shouldered with damp, reddish hair and big 
blue eyes behind horn-rimmed glasses. He had a 
most disconcerting manner of staring at one and 
constantly blinking and gulping — like a dying fish 
Frank declared later — and his hands and wrists 

41 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

seemed far too long for his sleeves. He was such 
a queer, gawky-looking chap that the boys could 
scarcely resist laughing, but before they had talked 
with him five minutes they had taken a great fancy 
to him and found he knew a lot about radio. 

While the boys told him of their interest in the 
strange conversations, he stood listening, his long 
arms dangling at his sides, his big eyes blinking 
and his half -open mouth gulping spasmodically un- 
til Tom became absolutely fascinated watching him. 

Mentally, Frank and Tom had dubbed him a 
"freak," a "simp," a "bookworm" and half a 
dozen far from complimentary names and they 
had expected to hear him speak "like a professor," 
as Tom would have expressed it. Instead he ut- 
tered a yell like a wild Indian, danced an im- 
promptu jig and to the boys' amazement ex- 
claimed: 

"HuUy Gee! So youse's Onto that bold too! 
Say, fellers, isn't he the candy kid though? 
Spielin' on that flapper wave an' cannin' his gab if 
youse ask his call. Say, that boid oughter be up 
to the flooey ward — he's bughouse I'll say, with 
all his ship talk and numbers jazzed up an' chinnin' 

42 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

to himself. Say, did youse ever hear a bloke 
talkin' to him?" 

"No, we never did," replied Tom. "Did you?" 

"Nix!" answered Jim. "That's why I say he's 
got rats in his garret — flooey I'll say — " Then, 
suddenly dropping his slangy East Side expres- 
sions, he continued: "Say, he's had me guessing, 
too. But I can tell you one thing. He's west of 
my place — I'm over at Bellevue, you know — Dad's 
stationed there — and that'll bring him somewhere 
between East 27th St. and Gramercy Square." 

"But, how on earth do you know that?" queried 
Tom in surprise. 

Jim grinned and blinked. 

"Same way you found out he was east of here," 
he replied. "You needn't think you fellows have 
got any patent on a loop, I've been usin' one for 
six months. Ed — he's my brother — is 'Sparks 
on a big liner and showed me about it. But hon 
est, if that fellow isn't crazy an' talkin' to himself 
why don't we get the other guy sometimes?' 

"That's the mystery to us," said Frank. "We de 
cided just before you came in that the other fel 
low must be sending on a different wave length 

4;^ 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

or else was in some other direction. We were 
just planning to pick him up by one of us tuning 
and turning the loop while the others listened to 
this fellow, but if you hear this man west of your 
place that knocks one of our theories out. If the 
other chap was west you'd get him, too." 

"Yep, and 'tisn't because he's on a different 
length," declared Jim. "Hully Gee, I've tuned 
everywhere from 1500 meters down trying to get 
him, and nothin' doin'." 

"Didn't you ever hear a funny sound like talk- 
ing through a comb with paper on it?" asked 
Henry. 

"Sure, sometimes I do," admitted Jim, "but you 
can't bring it in as chatter — I put it down to induc- 
tion or somethin' — but Gee, come to think of it, it 
always does come in just right between this loon- 
ey's sentences." 

"I'll bet 'tis the other fellow," declared Henry. 
"Only if 'tis he's got an awful wheeze in his throat 
or his transmitter's cracked." 

"Well, let's drop that and plan how we can lo- 
cate this fellow we do hear," suggested Frank. 

"Yes, now we know he's between your place and 
44 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

here we ought to find some place where we can set 
up a loop to the north and south," said Tom. 

"Sure, we can fix that," declared Jim. "I've 
got a cousin that lives over on 23d St. and there's 
a good scout named Lathrop over on 26th. We 
can take sets to their places and put 'em up. 
They haven't anything but crystal sets, and most 
likely they'll know other guys and by trying out 
at different places we can spot his hangout all 
right. But say, what are you fellows so keen 
about findin' him for?" 

"Oh, nothing except the fun of it," replied Tom, 
trying to act and speak in a casual manner. "You 
see we're just experimenting to find out what we 
can do with loop aerials — call ourselves radio de- 
tectives — and we picked on this fellow because his 
messages seemed sort of mysterious and are so 
easily recognized." 

"Yea, I understand," said Jim. "Say that's a 
lulu of an idea — radio detectives. Well, I'll bet 
we can detect this bughousey guy 0. K." 

It was soon arranged that Jim was to see his 
cousin and that one of the boys' loops would be 
set up in his home the following evening and that, 

45 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

while Jim and Frank listened there, Henry and 
Tom would be at their sets and would call out as 
soon as they heard the messages from the myste- 
rious speaker. All was arranged, but to the boys' 
intense chagrin not a sound came to any of them 
which remotely resembled the well-known voice 
and short wave lengths of the man they were striv- 
ing to locate. But they were not discouraged, for 
they knew from past experience that they could 
not expect to hear him every night. 

The following day was Saturday and the boys 
devoted their holiday to putting up a set in 
Lathrop's home. They now had four loop aerial 
sets ready to receive and located within a compara- 
tively small area. They were sure that the station 
they were trying to find was within the few blocks 
between 20th and 27th Sts., but they were not at 
all sure whether it would be found to the east or 
west of Third Avenue. Moreover, as Jim pointed 
out, for all they knew he might be on 27th St. or 
20th St. or even slightly north or south of one or 
the other, for he stated that his brother had told 
him that when close to a sending station the loop 
aerial could not be depended upon to give very ac- 

46 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

curate directions and that only by taking cross 
bearings could a certain point be definitely located. 
This was exactly what the boys had in view, to take 
cross bearings, and then, by means of a map of 
the city, to locate the man or the station. 

It may seem as if the boys were devoting a 
great deal of time and trouble to something of 
little importance, but they were, or at least Tom, 
Frank and Henry were, thoroughly convinced that 
the messages emanated from some one connected 
with a rum-running gang and they were as keen on 
finding his location and as interested as if they had 
been real detectives detailed to discover a fugi- 
tive from justice. 

So on that Saturday night they sat at their vari- 
ous instruments, waiting expectantly and with high 
hopes. No one was stationed at Tom's home, for, 
in order to provide two sets for the test, Tom's 
and Frank's had been dismantled and reinstalled 
at the houses of Jim's cousin and of Paul Lathrop. 

Henry was the first to pick up the sounds and in- 
stantly he hurried to the telephone and called Jim. 
But by the time he had Jim's number the latter 
had also picked up the signals and had called the 

47 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

others, for Tom had not disturbed his transmis- 
sion set and ordinary phoning was the only means 
of communicating with one another at the boys' 
disposal. For some time Tom, at the 23d St. 
house, could not pick up the sounds, but at last, 
with his loop pointed to the northeast, they came 
clear. "Congratulations," was the first word he 
heard, instantly followed by the queer buzzing 
sound which Henry had described. "Golly, 'tis 
just like some one talking through a comb," was 
Tom's mental comment and deeply interested and 
tremendously puzzled he strained his ears and mind 
striving to formulate words or meanings from the 
strange sounds. Once or twice he was sure that 
the sounds were words — he thought he could make 
out "last night" following a query of "When was 
it?" from the other speaker but, as he told the 
others later, it was like trying to hear what a mos- 
quito was saying. 

So intent was he on this that he quite forgot to 
jot down the plain words of the other speaker and 
did not realize it until the sounds ceased and the 
conversation was over. 

But he knew that the others would have it and 
48 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

he had the direction, which was the main thing, 
and, a few minutes later all the boys were together 
and eagerly discussing the results of their experi- 
ment. 

"He's southeast of my set!" announced Frank, 
when Tom had told them what he had discovered. 
"That puts him in between the river front and 
Third Avenue and between 23d and 26th Sts." 

"Well, we're getting him narrowed down to a 
few blocks now," said Henry joyfully. "Say, 
what did you fellows make of the talk? Here's my 
slip." 

The words that Henry had written down were 
as follows: "Everything O.K. Yes, haven't an 
idea. Sure, Fritz told me about it. Must be 
careful. No, but price will drop. No use killing 
the goose, you know. Golden eggs is right. Not 
a chance in the world of their getting wise. Non- 
sense, no one else has anything like it. Amateurs. 
Oh, forget it. Well, let 'em guess, guesses don't 
prove anything. Well, if they did they'd never 
find anything. Magnolia. Yes, same place thirty 
fifteen west. Oh, yes, the French stuff went like 
hot cakes. Sure, get all you can. Yes she 

49 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

cleared. Regards to Heinrich. Expect you the 
eighteenth. Don't forget Magnolia. Good-by." 

"It's just the same as I made it," announced 
Frank. 

"Same here," said Jim. "SuflFerin' cats! Do 
you mean to say that nut isn't bughouse now?" 

"It does sound a bit crazy, I admit," replied 
Tom. "Say, did any of you fellows try tuning 
to different wave lengths to see if any one else 
came in?" 

"I did," declared Frank, "but all I got was some 
one who said 'for the love of Mike get off the air.' " 

"Me, too," chimed in Jim. "No one's talking to 
him, he's just nutty and chins to himself." 

"Well, then, we have all the more reason for 
finding him," said Tom. "If he's really crazy the 
authorities ought to know it. Now we know he's 
so close we ought to be able to locate him." 

So, day after day, the boys, their interest and 
enthusiasm at high pitch owing to the success of 
their experiments, shifted their instruments from 
house to house, gradually drawing their radio net 
about the mysterious sender until they were posi- 
tive that he was located in a certain block, a dis- 

50 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

trict of small, old-fashioned buildings, warehouses 
and garages. 

But beyond this they could not go. There were 
no boys so far as they knew within the area and, 
satisfied that they had done all they could and 
that they had proved the value of their loops in 
locating the unknown speaker, all but Tom, 
Frank and Henry lost interest and devoted their 
attention to other matters. 

But Tom, Frank, and, to a lesser degree, Henry 
were still deeply interested in the mysterious mes- 
sages and were convinced that they came either 
from a gang of rum-runners or from some other 
law-breakers, for while there was nothing really 
suspicious in the messages they could not rid 
themselves of the idea, once it had entered their 
minds. 

"I vote we go and tell Mr. Henderson all we 
know," said Tom. "Dad won't be back for two 
weeks or more yet and if Mr. Henderson thinks 
there's anything in it he can have that block 
searched and find out who owns the set." 

"Well, perhaps 'twould be a good plan," admit- 
ted Frank, and accordingly the two boys went to Mr. 

51 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Henderson's office and related the story of their 
experiments and told of their suspicions. 

"H-m-m," remarked the keen-eyed man when 
they had ended, "this is very interesting, boys. 
Let me see the notes you made." 

For a time he examined the slips of paper bear- 
ing the various messages the boys had scribbled 
down and his forehead wrinkled in a frown of 
perplexity. 

"It's very indefinite," he announced at last, half 
to himself, "but I agree with you that the whole 
matter has a suspicious appearance. Too bad you 
didn't take down the earlier messages you heard. 
Now, let's see. You say you have never heard the 
other party to the conversations and yet you have 
been listening in within a block of this chap. Very 
odd, yes, most extraordinary. There are several 
explanations that occur to me, however. For ex- 
ample, if they wished the conversation to be secret 
and unintelligible they might have arranged that 
one man was to talk through an ordinary phone 
and the other by radio. Or they might have ar- 
ranged this because the second man had no sending 
set — exactly as you boys communicated with one 

52 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

another with only one transmission set among 
you." 

"Gee, but we are dumb-bells!" exclaimed Tom. 
"Why the dickens didn't we think of that? Why 
we are doing the same thing ourselves. It was 
so simple we overlooked it." 

Mr. Henderson smiled. "That's often the way," 
he declared. "During the war a lot of messages 
passed our censors as perfectly innocent and harm- 
less and yet they were of the utmost importance — 
they were so frank and simple we overshot the 
mark." 

"Yes, Dad told us about some of those," said 
Tom. 

"As I was saying," went on Mr. Henderson, "if 
one man was talking over a telephone you would 
not have heard him under ordinary conditions, but 
it often happens that through capacity inductance 
a phone message may come in over a radio set. 
That might account for your occasionally hearing 
those sounds which you describe as resembling 
words coming through a paper-covered comb. Do 
you remember the conditions under which you 
heard those sounds? Were you near telephone re- 

53 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

ceivers, touching any part of your sets or doing 
anything unusual?" 

The boys thought deeply, trying to revisualize 
the conditions that had existed on the few occasions 
when they had heard the odd buzzing sounds. 

"I'm not sure," said Tom at last, "but it seems to 
me that when I heard them the first time — ^that time 
I was on 23d St., I was sitting close to the tele- 
phone receiver on the table — I'd just been called 
up by Jim and — yes, I am sure now, I remember 
distinctly — I had my hand touching the stand while 
I was listening to the messages. You see, I was 
half inclined to phone to the others to find out if 
they heard the sounds and I reached out to pick up 
the phone and then changed my mind — but sort 
of kept my hand there." 

"Then that's solved, I think," declared Mr. Hen- 
derson. "If you had taken down the phone re- 
ceiver and had kept your hand upon it you would 
probably have heard the other speaker's voice 
plainly." 

"Gosh, why didn't we think of that!" interrupted 
Frank. "And come to think of it, the phone is on 
the same table with the radio set at Henry's house." 

54 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Well, we've laid one ghost, we'll assume," went 
on Mr. Henderson, "but that does not solve the mys- 
tery of the other speaker nor does it eliminate the 
possibility that these fellows may be crooks. In 
our work, you know, we always assume that every 
suspect is guilty until we prove our theory wrong 
and so we'll assume that your mysterious speaker 
is a crook until we find we're mistaken. However, 
before I take any active steps I think it will be a 
good plan to try another test. Suppose you listen 
in for a few nights more and, as soon as you hear 
this fellow, take down your phone receivers and 
hold the instrument against your body or arm and 
see if you get the voice of the other chap. Let me 
know the results and then we can plan our next 
move." 

"Hurrah! Now we are real radio detectives 
working for the government!" cried Tom enthusias- 
tically. "Do you really think they're bootleg- 
gers?" 

"I make it a point never to form a hard-and- 
fast opinion," replied Mr. Henderson with a 
smile at the boys' excitement. "However, I should 
not be in the least surprised if they are, and if so 

55 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

and we round them up, Uncle Sam will have to 
thank you boys. Go to it, boys! Perhaps we may 
have to organize a radio detective corps yet, and 
I'm not sure that boys may not be able to show 
us old hands a few tricks at our own game." 



CHAPTER IV 
THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

HARDLY had the door to Mr. Henderson's 
office closed behind them before Frank 
commenced to dance and caper wildly 
about. 

"Hurrah!" he shouted. "This is great! We're 
real detectives and working for Uncle Sam!" 

"Yes, but don't make such a row," cautioned 
Tom. "We don't want every one in the place to 
know it and they'll think you're crazy. Come on, 
let's hurry and tell Henry." 

WTien they reached Gramercy Square and dashed 
into Henry's room and told him of their talk with 
Mr. Henderson, he was as excited and pleased as 
Frank. 

"Say, it was funny we didn't think of that 
fellow using a telephone!" he exclaimed, when the 
boys had told him of Mr. Henderson's theory. 
*'And he's right about that capacity effect of a fel- 

57 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

low near a phone. I was a fool not to have thought 
of it. Why, Jim told me about that long ago. He 
even said his brother Ed showed him with his set 
on the San Jacinto, But I guess it must have been 
because we were so intent on the messages that we 
couldn't think of anything else. I'll bet we can 
hear folks on the phone through my set right now." 

"That is funny!" declared Tom, when, a moment 
later, the boys were listening to a telephone conver- 
sation coming to them through Henry's set. 
"Say," he continued, "there isn't much privacy 
nowadays, is there? Why, if you could amplify 
that enough, every one could hear everything that 
was going on over the telephones." 

"Yes, and to think we were so close to getting 
that other chap's talk and never realized it," said 
Frank. "Mr. Henderson must think we are great 
radio fans! I'll bet he had a mighty good laugh 
at our expense after we left." 

"Well, we'll not be fooled again," declared 
Tom. "If that fellow begins talking to-night we'll 
nail him, too." 

"But we can't locate him," objected Henry, 
"So what good will it do?" 

58 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

"That's so," admitted Tom. "But the main 
thing is to hear what he says. Then perhaps we 
can make sense out of it." 

"Say," suddenly exclaimed Henry, "did you 
fellows notice that every time we heard those mes- 
sages the fellow mentioned a flower? First 'twas 
'Azalia' and then 'Magnolia' and then 'Hibiscus' 
and last time 'twas 'Frangi Pani.' I'd like to 
know what that meant." 

"I hadn't thought of that," said Tom. "Of 
course Azalia and Magnolia and Hibiscus are flow- 
ers, but what's Frangi Pani — sounds like some 
sort of Japanese thing to me. I guess this fellow 
must be talking about boats. Lots of ships are 
named after flowers, you know." 

"Well, he must have a whole fleet then," said 
Henry. 

"Perhaps it's perfumes or he may be in the 
flower business," suggested Frank with a laugh. 

"Perhaps we'll get the answer to that when we 
hear his mate," said Tom. 

"Hope we hear him to-night," remarked Henry. 
"Say, what do you think of this scheme?" 

For some time the boys forgot all else in ex- 
39 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

amining a new hook-up which Henry had devised 
and at last left him with final cautions to be at 
his instruments that evening and each night there- 
after until they again heard the unknown speakers. 

But it was several nights before the mysterious 
messages again greeted their ears. Then Frank 
and Tom caught them at the same instant and both 
boys gave a little start and looked at each other 
in surprise, for the first word they heard was 
"Tuberose." Once more the name of a flower had 
entered into the conversation and mentally won- 
dering what in the world this meant the two boys 
slipped the receiver of the desk telephone from 
its hook. Hardly had they done so when they 
almost jumped, as clear and loud, they heard a 
human voice; but the next instant their spirits sank 
to zero and they glanced at each other with dis- 
gusted expressions, for instead of the voice of the 
man they had expected to hear they heard a 
woman's voice and her words were: "Number, 
please?" 

With a savage jerk, Tom hung up the receiver. 

"Gee!" he exclaimed. "Of course we'd get her. 
I'll bet Mr. Henderson knew that and just tried to 

60 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

jolly us. Now what are we going to do? If we 
—Hello! What's that?" 

Clearly to his ears, and interrupting the words 
of the mysterious man whom they had almost for- 
gotten in their disappointment, came another voice, 
evidently that of a woman, and pitched in high 
tones. "Oh, yes!" it exclaimed. "I'm so glad, 
my dear. Do you know — " Tom drew his hand 
from the desk phone on which it had been resting 
and the words trailed off into a faint indistinct 
buzz. Tom and Frank grinned. 

"Well, it works!" ejaculated Frank. "Of 
course it doesn't make any difference if the 
receiver is off or not — we aren't getting waves over 
wires. Henry kept the receiver on to-day, didn't 
he?" 

"I don't know," replied Tom. "But say, we've 
got to get busy. That chap's been talking for the 
last five minutes and we haven't put down a thing 
he's said." 

Trying to make up for lost time, the two boys 
jotted down the words that came in, now and then 
placing a hand on the desk phone to see if they 
could hear the other party to the conversation, 

61 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES ' 

but each time the nasal voice of the woman, gos- 
siping with a friend, was all that came to them. 
Then the man's voice ceased and after a few mo- 
ments' wait the boys rose from their seats. 

"Darn that old hen!" exclaimed Tom, petu- 
lantly. "How the dickens could a fellow expect 
to hear anything with her tongue going like a house 
afire?" 

"Just think what it'll be when every one's talking 
by radio," chuckled Frank. "And won't the 
women have the time of their lives hearing all their 
neighbors' gossip?" 

"Government'll have to license 'em to talk, I 
guess," muttered Tom. "Come on, let's go over 
to Henry's and see if he had any better luck." 

But Henry had nothing to tell them. He had 
heard no conversation over the phone except some 
man talking business with a friend, but he had 
written down all the words the mysterious man had 
spoken and showed them to the boys who had ex- 
plained how they had forgotten to get the greater 
part of the conversation. 

"Tuberose," Tom read. "We'll begin next week. 
Getting stocked up. I'll bet it'll wake things up. 

62 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

Too bad we didn't know then. Might have been 
a different tale, eh? Oh, Oscar's all right. Yes, 
same old place. Nothing doing, old man. Never 
a suspicion. Oh, it's a cinch. I don't know. 
Some kids, I expect. Got to see him to-night. So 
long, old man." 

"Just the same old stuff," commented Tom when 
he had finished. "Only no figures this time." 

"And another flower," added Henry. 

"Jim would swear he was crazy if he noticed 
that," chuckled Frank. "I'm beginning to think 
that may be it myself." 

For three consecutive nights the boys heard the 
conversation and despite all efforts failed to hear 
anything of interest over the ordinary phones 
while the radio words were coming in, although 
they heard various scraps of conversations be- 
tween other persons. 

"Mr. Henderson was off that time," declared 
Tom, when the boys rose from their sets on the 
third night. "His theory was wrong. The other 
chap's not talking on a telephone, I'll bet." 

"Doesn't look that way at any rate," agreed 
Frank. "Let's go down to-morrow and tell him." 

63 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Accordingly, the three boys visited Mr. Hender- 
son the next day and reported the resuhs of their 
experiments. 

"That does puzzle me," exclaimed Mr. Hender- 
son as they finished. "If you heard others it's 
pretty conclusive evidence he's not on a wire. 
Did you hear those buzzing sounds or words 
again?" 

"I did," said Henry, "and I heard 'em just as 
plain and no plainer when I was a Hong 
way from the phone as when I was touching 
it." 

"Well, we've drawn a blank there," smiled Mr. 
Henderson. Then, after a moment's thought, he 
exclaimed, "Boys, I'm going to take a chance. 
I'm pretty well convinced something's going on 
that's crooked and I'm going to send some men out 
and search every building in that block from cel- 
lar to garret. You understand, of course, this is 
a profound secret. No one will know who they 
are or what they're after. It must be a surprise 
visit so don't even talk it over among yourselves. 
But I want you to help us a bit. I'm going to 
start the men out at eight o'clock sharp, to-night. 

64 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

You must be at your sets and listening. If the 
fellow's talking, you'll know when my men find 
him, either by what he says or the way he shuts 
off, and if he goes* on talking without interruption 
for half an hour you'll know you've made some 
mistake and he's not in that block. Meet me here 
to-morrow at about this time and we'll have some- 
thing to report — or nothing." 

"Oh, and there's something else," announced 
Tom as the boys turned to leave. "Henry called 
attention to those names of flowers yesterday. 
We'd almost forgotten about them. Every time 
that fellow talks he gets a new name of a flower. 
Have you noticed it?" 

Mr. Henderson chuckled. "You're getting a 
pretty good training at this, boys," he replied. 
"Yes, I've noticed that — ^that's one thing that in- 
fluences me more than anything else. There's 
some code to those names, I think, and they may 
prove the key to the whole thing. We'll find out 
sometime probably." 

Remembering Mr. Henderson's injunction about 
discussing the proposed raid the boys refrained 
from mentioning it to one another, but could 

65 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

scarcely restrain their impatience until the time 
came for them to be at their instruments. 

Eight o'clock came and, excited and expectant, 
the boys listened, hoping to hear the message com- 
ing in and to learn from its words or its abrupt 
ending of the success of the raid. But the min- 
utes ticked by, the hands of the clock pointed to 
half -past eight, and nine o'clock came and went 
without a word from the source they so longed to 
hear. 

Anxious to learn the result of the search, the 
boys hurried to Mr. Henderson's office the follow- 
ing day. 

"Another blank, boys," he announced when they 
entered his office. "There wasn't a sign of a wire- 
less outfit in that block. Did you hear anything 
last night?" 

The boys admitted that they had heard nothing. 

"But — ^but there must be a set there," insisted 
Tom, utterly unable to believe that they had been 
mistaken. "Why, we were all around there with 
our loops and we got cross bearings and knew he 
was there." 

"It's a bit mysterious, I grant," replied Mr. 
66 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

Henderson. "I fully expected we'd locate it, but 
my men will swear there isn't even a piece of radio 
apparatus in the block. They went through it with 
a fine-tooth comb. Either you boys were mistaken 
or else the fellow's moved away. If you hear him 
again you'll know whether he's changed his loca- 
tion. I'm afraid you'll never locate him by your 
instruments, though. I've used those loops as di- 
rection finders at sea and to some extent ashore 
and I admit I can't see how you went wrong, but 
we've got to face the fact that he's not there — at 
least not now." 

Thoroughly disappointed and discouraged, the 
boys left the office and for hours discussed the 
matter with one another, but at the end of the 
time were no nearer a solution than ever. 

"Oh, bother the old thing, anyhow!" exclaimed 
Tom at last. "We've had our fun and now let's 
do something else. Dad's leaving Nassau to-mor- 
row and we can try sending to him when he gets 
nearer. Wonder what he'll say about this 
thing." 

"Yes, but it gets my goat to think that Mr. Hen- 
derson will think we're such dubs," said Frank. 

67 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"He thinks we've made some big mistake 
and put him to all that trouble for noth- 
ing." 

"Well, let's forget it," suggested Henry, and this 
seeming the best advice the boys followed it and 
were soon so busy experimenting along new lines 
that the mysterious conversations almost slipped 
from their minds, and as no further messages were 
heard from the same source they decided that by 
some coincidence the sender had moved bag and 
baggage from his former location just in time to 
escape detection by the men Mr. Henderson had 
sent on the search. 

Tom and Frank were overjoyed when, a day be- 
fore Mr. Pauling's ship docked, they succeeded 
in getting a message to him. 

"That's pretty near 300 miles," declared Tom 
jubilantly, "and our set's only supposed to send 
100. Say, that's a real freak message." 

But when, a few moments later, they heard 
some one calling their letters and this was followed 
by a question as to their location and the informa- 
tion that the inquirer was the government operator 
at Fort Randolph, Canal Zone, Panama, the two 

68 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

boys could only stare at each other in utter amaze- 
ment. 

"Jehoshaphat!" exclaimed Frank at last. "We 
were heard clear down in Panama! Why that's 
pretty near 2000 miles!" 

"Almost as good as that fellow over in Jersey 
who was heard in Scotland and Honduras!" cried 
Tom. "Hurrah, Frank! Let's try again." 

But despite every effort the boys failed to get 
a reply from any one more than fifty or sixty 
miles distant and realized that, by some peculiar 
atmospheric condition, their dots and dashes had 
been carried through the ether for twenty times 
and more their normal sending range. 

"That's something to tell Dad," declared Tom, 
and rushing down the stairs he excitedly told his 
mother of the wonderful feat. 

"I suppose it is remarkable, if you say so," said 
Mrs. Pauling, "but really, I can't see why you 
should not talk to Balboa or Europe or any other 
point if you can talk to your father's ship out at 
sea. One is just as wonderful as the other to me. 
But Fm proud of you just the same, Tom." 

When, the next day, Mr. Pauling arrived, Tom 
69 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

could scarcely wait to relate the story of his freak 
message and his father was enthusiastic enough to 
satisfy any boy. 

"Marvelous!" he declared. "And the operator 
on the San Jacinto tells me you've improved a lot 
since he j&rst talked to you. Says you can send 
well and had no trouble in getting his message 
at regular speed. I'm mighty glad you've done 
so well, Son. Just as soon as I have a chance 
I'm coming up to see that wonder set of yours. 
How many have you built since I've been gone?" 

Then Tom told his father of the mysterious mes- 
sages and what had come of their attempts to lo- 
cate the sender. 

Mr. Pauling laughed heartily. "Well, if you 
got old Henderson interested he must have believed 
there was something in it. I don't know but what 
there was. I'll talk it over with him. But I can 
imagine your disappointment, and his too — when 
nothing came of it. No, Son, I can't offer any 
explanation and we're as much in the dark as ever 
about the smugglers. By the way, I met a chap 
down at Nassau that was just about as keen on 
experiments as you boys only he's not a radio fan. 

70 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

No, he's a diver. He's invented a new type of 
diving suit — self-contained he calls it. Just a 
sort of rubber cloth shirt and a khaki-colored hel- 
met and lead-soled shoes. He goes down without 
ropes or life lines or air hose. Gets his air from 
a little box or receptacle strapped to his body. I 
don't know what is in it, but it's some chemical 
which produces oxygen and he can walk about 
where he pleases on the bottom. It's the weirdest 
thing I've ever seen to watch him wade out into the 
water and disappear and then, half an hour or two 
hours later, have him bob up somewhere else." 

"Gosh, I'd love to see that," declared Tom. 
"Suppose he wants to come up from deep water 
without walking ashore, how does he manage?" 

"He just produces more oxygen so he floats up," 
replied Mr. Pauling. "And you'll have a chance 
to talk with him next week. He's returning to 
New York and I've asked him to call and see us. 
Nice young chap, name's Rawlins. The only 
trouble with his outfit is that he can't communi- 
cate with others ashore or on the boats. Of course 
he can take down a line or even a telephone, but 
then he at once destroys one of the great advan- 

71 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

tages of his invention. A trailing line or wire is 
as liable to be caught or tangled in a wreck or in 
coral as an air pipe or any other rope or line and 
it means some one must be stationed in a boat over 
him. He claims one big advantage of his suit 
will be the fact that as no boat or air pump is 
needed, no one can tell where he is. That would 
be a fine thing in time of war, of course. Think 
you'll take a great fancy to him, Tom." 

For a moment, Tom was silent and then he sud- 
denly let out a yell like an Indian. 

"I have it!" he fairly screamed. "Radio! 
Submarine radio! I'll bet it'll work." 

Then, filled with enthusiasm, he started to ex- 
plain his ideas to his father. 

"All right! All right!" cried Mr. Pauling, 
laughing and holding up his hands in protestation. 
"I'll take your word for the technical end of it. 
Wait and tell Rawlins about it. But honestly I 
don't know but what there may be something in it. 
You and Rawlins can work it out." 

So filled with his new idea was Tom, that he 
fairly rushed to tell Frank when the latter arrived, 
and for the next ten days the two were ceaselessly 

72 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

at work, drawing plans and diagrams, making and 
discarding instruments, purchasing countless rolls 
of wire and knock-down apparatus, as they strove 
to put into concrete form the vision in Tom's brain. 

But they found innumerable difficulties to be 
overcome and were almost discouraged when one 
evening Rawlins called. 

He was such an enthusiastic and interesting man 
that the boys took a huge liking for him and as 
soon as Tom told him of his idea he at once fell 
in with the boys' plans. 

"I do believe it can be done!" he declared, when 
Tom had shown him the plans and had described 
his ideas fully. "I don't know much about radio, 
but if you are right about the matter there's no 
reason I can see why you shouldn't get it to work. 
I tell you what, Tom, we'll fit up a workshop and 
laboratory down at my father's dock — it's down 
near the foot of 28th St. and we don't use it except 
for storage. The old gentleman's gone out of the 
wrecking business and has sold all his outfit except 
the things stored there. It's a fine place to work 
and experiment. There are tools and a machine 
lathe and about ten tons of odds and ends that 

73 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

may come in handy. My father had his office 
and workshop there — did all his repairing of 
pumps, diving suits and tugs there, and never 
threw anything away. I learned to dive there — 
my father and grandfather were deep-sea divers, 
too — and there's a trapdoor where the divers went 
down to test their suits and pumps. I made my 
suits and even my under-sea motion picture outfit 
there and it's private and no one will disturb us. 
The only way we can test out this idea of yours 
is by actual trial under water. If we do get it, 
it will be a mighty big thing — greatest improve- 
ment in sub-sea work ever. I'll get the place ready 
and cleaned up a bit to-morrow. I'm just as crazy 
as you are to try it out." 

Mr. Henderson also was deeply interested in the 
boys' new experiments and declared he believed 
their ideas might be worked out successfully. 

"You'll run across a lot of unexpected and un- 
foreseen difficulties," he warned them. "One never 
knows what new laws and phenomena one may 
run up against in a thing of this sort. During 
the war our government and the Allies, and no 
doubt Germany also, carried on a good many ex- 

74 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

periments with under-water radio, but as far as I 
know they never came to much. Radio had not 
progressed so far then and there were more im- 
portant things to be done and not enough men to 
attend to it. We did use vacuum tubes and am- 
plifiers for detecting submarines, however. By 
the way, I have a few things that may be of help 
to you boys and I'll be glad to let you have them. 
Among them is a remarkable tuning device of Ger- 
man make and I don't think it has ever been tried 
out. You'll need something that is simple and 
accurate and easy to control and this may do the 
trick." 

By the end of a week a snug little laboratory 
had been set up on Rawlins' dock and the boys 
and their diver friend spent every available mo- 
ment of their time there. 

Tom and Frank were as interested in seeing 
Rawlins go down in his odd suit as he was in their 
radio work, and the first time he put it on to dem- 
onstrate it to the boys they became tremendously 
excited. Rawlins carefully explained all about 
it, pointing out its various parts and showing them 
how the oxygen generator worked. 

75 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"You have to be careful about this," he said, 
"if a drop of water gets into it, it blazes or flames 
up and may kill a fellow. That's the only danger 
about it. If a man forgets and takes the mouth- 
piece from his lips to speak without shutting it 
off and water gets in, he'll have a red hot flame 
inside his helmet. It's easy to get accustomed 
to it though — comes as natural as breathing, after 
a bit of practice." 

But even now that it had been explained to them 
it seemed a most remarkable feat for Rawlins to 
don the shirtlike suit and helmet and, with only 
these over his ordinary garments and with no rub- 
ber trousers covering his legs, descend the ladder 
and disappear in the water without lines, pipes or 
ropes trailing after him. Both Tom and Frank 
were crazy to go down, but Rawlins refused to 
permit it until he had made the suits "fool proof" 
as he put it. Even then, the boys' parents ob- 
jected until they had visited the workshop and 
Rawlins had proved to their satisfaction that the 
iboys were perfectly safe in shallow water when 
he accompanied them. 

"We'll have to go down to test out the radio," 
76 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

argued Tom, "so we might as well learn right 
away." 

At last the fathers gave in and Tom went down 
first with Rawlins. For a week afterwards he 
could think or talk of nothing else and never tired 
relating his sensations and experiences to his par- 
ents and his boy friends, and Frank did the same. 
But after the first few times the novelty wore off 
and the boys soon became quite accustomed to 
going to the bottom of the river. Rawlins, how- 
ever, never allowed them to stay down more than a 
few minutes at a time and after the first few de- 
scents the boys found little fun in it. They had ex- 
pected to find a smooth, hard bottom and to see 
fishes swimming about and to be able to look up 
and see passing boats overhead. To their sur- 
prise, they found they could not walk upright, but 
leaned far forward and had a peculiar dreamy sen- 
sation when they attempted to walk, their feet 
seeming to half-drag, half -float behind them and 
that, despite the fact that the bottom of the river 
was soft and muddy, they did not sink into the 
bottom to any extent. As Tom put it, it was like 
trying to hurry in a dream when one's feet seem 

77 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

tied to something and one can't possibly run. 
Moreover, they found the water dark and so filled 
with sediment that they could see but a few feet 
and even near-by objects, such as the spiles and 
abutments of the dock, the ladder down which 
they descended and the figure of their companion 
were scarcely visible a yard distant and took on 
strange, hazy, indistinct and distorted forms. 
Indeed, Rawlins always held their hands when 
they went down, explaining that should they stray 
a few yards away they might be lost or might 
be swept off in some current. 

But they were glad of the experience and re- 
alized that in order to carry on their experiments 
with any hopes of success they must learn to use 
the suits, for Rawlins had not yet mastered the 
details of radio. 

In the meantime, however, they worked at 
the radio devices and at last Tom announced 
that he had a set which he believed might 
work. 

"It's only an experimental set," he explained 
to Rawlins. "And it won't stand up long under 
water, but if the idea's all right and we get any 

78 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

results we can go to work and make a good outfit 
on the same principle." 

Rawlins was almost as excited as the boys when 
the day came to test the new device and at Tom's 
suggestion was to go down alone with the receiver 
in his helmet while the boys remained on the dock 
and attempted to communicate with him. 

"We'll try receiving under water first," said 
Tom. "If it works we'll get it into good shape 
and then get busy on the under-water sending set." 

So, with the compact but complicated little set 
inside his helmet, which was specially made to ac- 
commodate it, and with the receivers clamped over 
his ears, Rawlins backed down the ladder while 
the boys, feeling like explorers about to set foot 
on some new and unknown land, watched his head 
disappear beneath the surface of the river. 

It was little wonder that they were wildly ex- 
cited for now, in a few moments, they would know 
beyond question whether their ideas had been right 
and whether all their work and trouble had been 
thrown away or they had made an advance in 
radio which might revolutionize under-sea work. 

At first the boys had not fully realized what 
79 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

the success of their efforts would mean and had 
gone into it enthusiastically merely as something 
new and strange. 

But as soon as Rawlins had explained the pos- 
sibilities which a successful under-sea radio tele- 
phone would open up, they understood how much 
might hinge on the triumph or failure of their 
plans. 

"Why," Rawlins had exclaimed, "think what it 
will do if it works! A man can go down and walk 
about any place he chooses and yet can talk back 
and forth with men on a ship or on shore. In 
wrecking, he could go all through a ship with no 
danger of getting his life-line or air-hose tangled 
and he could direct the fellows on the tug or 
lighter, telling them just where to lower chains or 
tackle or anything else. And think what it would 
mean in time of war! Why, a man could walk out 
from shore anywhere, go under a ship and fasten 
a mine to her and blow her up and hear all that 
was going on aboard the enemy's ship. And just 
think what a dangerous sort of spy a man would 
be — out of sight imder the sea and yet able to 
hear all the talk and messages of the enemy! I 

80 



THE BOYS DRAW A BLANK 

tell you, boys, up to now diving's been like blind 
man's work — mostly feeling and signaling by 
jerks on a line. Of course the ordinary phone 
was a big advance, but with that you still had to 
trail a wire along and there was a visible connec- 
tion between the diver and the surface. With my 
suits and your radio the country that owned the 
secrets would be mighty near masters of the sea, 
I'll say." 



CHAPTER V 
THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

AS soon as Rawlins was out of sight the 
boys commenced to talk, Tom speaking 
through the transmitter while Frank wrote 
down what he said, for of course they could not 
know if Rawlins heard them, and the only means 
of determining if he had received all the words was 
to keep a record for comparison when he came up. 
They were busily engaged at this and tremendously 
interested and excited, when the telephone bell 
rang. Telling Rawlins to wait a moment, and ex- 
plaining the reason, Tom ceased speaking while 
Frank answered the call. 

"Hello, Frank," came Henry's voice. "I just 
rang up to be sure you were there. How's every- 
thing going?r 

"Fine!" replied Frank, "come on down, we're 
just testing it out for the first time. When did you 
get back?" 

82 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

"Last evening — but didn't have a chance to run 
around to see you. I called up, but the maid said 
you were out with Tom. Didn't she tell you? I'll 
be right down, you bet. Say, I've some news for 
you. So long." 

"I'm glad he's back from that trip with his 
father and is coming down," said Tom. "Won't he 
be interested and surprised if this works? Won- 
der what the news is." 

Then, turning to his set, he continued his inter- 
rupted talk, or attempt to talk, with Rawlins until, 
five minutes later, Henry was pounding at the 
door. 

"Gee, but you've a fine place here!" he cried 
as he glanced about the little laboratory, "and 
you've diving suits and helmets and everything. 
Say, I was just crazy to get back when I got your 
letter telling about your experiments and every- 
thing. Where's the diver fellow? Oh say, you're 
not really talking to him under water! Crickety! 
Isn't that wonderful to think he can hear you down 
under the river!" 

Tom laughed. "Don't know if he can," he re- 
plied. "We'll have to wait for him to come up and 

83 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

tell. You see we haven't got an under-sea sending 
set rigged up yet and the one he's got is just a sort 
of makeshift for experimenting." 

"Have you fellows heard anything more 
of that mystery chap?" cried Henry, suddenly 
changing the subject. 

"Not a word," Tom assured him. 

"Well, I have then," declared Henry trium- 
phantly. "I heard him last night and I got him 
again to-day just before I called you fellows. He 
was in the same old place, too." 

"Honest? Say, that is funny!" exclaimed 
Frank. "What was he saying?" 

"Don't know," replied Henry. "He was talk- 
ing some foreign lingo that I couldn't make 
out, but I got one word. Bet you couldn't 
guess what 'twas — another flower — Oleander this 
time." 

The boys were so interested in Henry's news that 
they had temporarily forgotten their under-water 
companion until Henry uttered a half surprised 
ex«clamation and jumped away from the square 
opening in the floor over the river. 

"Gosh, there he comes!" he cried, as overcom- 
84 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

ing his first surprise at a gurgling splash he 
glanced through the trapdoor and saw the diver's 
helmet appearing. "Don't he look like a regular 
sea monster?" 

A moment later, Rawlins was removing his suit 
and helmet. 

"Did you hear us?" cried Tom the moment 
Rawlins' face was visible. 

"Did I!" exclaimed the diver. "Did I! Let 
me tell you I wished I had cotton stuffed in my 
ears. You must think I'm deaf, — yelling like 
that. Did you think you had to shout loud enough 
to have your voice go through the water? And 
I'll tell you I thought a tornado'd struck the place 
when your friend here arrived. I even heard the 
telephone bell." 

Tom and Frank fairly danced with delight. 
"Hurrah! It works! It's a success! We've 
solved it! It's under-sea radio!" shouted the ex- 
cited boys. 

"I'll say it works!" declared Rawlins. "But 
what the deuce were you trying to talk Dutch 
for?" 

"Talk Dutch?" cried Tom in a puzzled tone. 
85 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"We weren't talking Dutch or anything but United 
StatQS." 

It was Rawlins' turn to be amazed. "Well, who 
in thunder was then?" he asked. "I heard some 
one jabbering Dutch or some other foreign lan- 
guage — don't know what 'twas except it wasn't 
French or Spanish." 

Henry gave a whoop. "It was that other fel- 
low!" he cried excitedly. "I'll bet 'twas. He was 
talking just before I rang up as I told you. Jehosh- 
aphat! Mr. Rawlins must have heard him under 
water." 

"I guess that's it," agreed Tom. "Funny it 
didn't occur to me. Of course there's no reason 
why he shouldn't have been heard under water. 
We're using a tiny little wave length and so's he, 
and he's close to here, you know. Did you hear 
him loudly, Mr. Rawlins?" 

"Well, not so as to deafen me the way you did," 
replied the diver with a grin, "but if I'd understood 
his lingo I could have told what he was talking 
about. The only word that sounded like sense to 
me was something like Oleander." 

"Then 'twas him!" fairly yelled Henry ungram- 
86 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

matically. "That's the name he was using when 
I heard him." 

"Well, it just proves this new thing is a peach- 
erino," declared Tom. "Now let's get busy and fix 
it up in good shape and make a sending set to try 
out." 

Now that the boys' first experiment had been 
such a huge success they were more enthusiastic 
and excited than ever. They had been confident 
that the diver would be able to hear sounds or that 
he might even distinguish words under water, but 
they had not dared to hope that their very first ef- 
forts would result in the sound being carried to 
the ears of the man beneath the water as clearly 
and loudly as though he had been present in the 
same room with the speaker. 

"I'll bet water carries electromagnetic waves bet- 
ter than air," declared Tom. "Why, if this little 
set can respond to these short five watt waves in 
this way, think what it would mean to a submarine 
with big amplified sets and getting messages sent 
with hundreds of watts. Why a fellow could sit 
in Washington and talk to submarines and divers 
all over the Atlantic." 

87 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"You've hit on a wonderful possibility," Rawlins 
assured him. "Of course I was pretty close — I 
didn't go over a hundred yards from the dock and 
it's shoal water. I'm anxious to try it down a hun- 
dred feet or so and a mile or two from the sender. 
We'll do that after we get things right — go down 
to my hangout in the Bahamas and give it a real 
honest-to-goodness try-out." 

"It's all in that new amplifying arrangement 
and that single control tuner Frank hit upon," said 
Tom. "And we're not really responsible for 
either. Mr. Henderson gave us the idea for the 
tuner and a friend of Dad's invented the tube, but 
couldn't get any one interested. You see, Henry, 
this tube is just about 400 times as much of an 
amplifier as the other tubes, and we get a detector 
and amplifier all in one. Look here — it's the 
smallest bulb you ever saw — about the size of a 
peanut and we operate it on a flashlight battery 
with a special little dry cell for the filament. Of 
course they don't last long, but a fellow can't stay 
down more than an hour or two anyway and the 
batteries will run the set steadily for five hours. 
For under-sea work the cost don't count. What 

88 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

we're up against now is to make the sending set 
to go with it. The receiver was easy. That fits 
in this special helmet all right and don't have to be 
waterproof, but the sending set'll have to be out- 
side and it'll be an awful job to keep the water 
from short circuiting it." 

As he talked, Tom was showing Henry the set 
and pointing out its many novel features. 

"This single tuner is great," he continued. "It's 
fixed so it's set at a certain spot for the normal 
wave lengths sent from the diver's home station. 
See, here in the middle at zero. Then, if he wants 
to get a shorter wave he turns it to the left which 
gives him a range down to half his normal wave 
length or for longer waves he turns it to the right 
and gets twice his normal length. If he wants to 
go to long wave lengths — for example, if he was 
a spy or something and wanted to get the big 
sending stations — he'd turn the knob clear to the 
left and then back to the right and around to op- 
posite the zero point. Then he'd be on about 
2500 meters and that being his utmost length he 
just has to tune slowly towards zero again. And 
the rheostat works automatically with it and so 

89 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

does the variable condenser and it's not very com* 
plicated either." 

"But what does he do for an aerial*?" queried 
Henry. 

"Doesn't use one," replied Tom. "Just has this 
sort of wire cage sticking from his helmet, like a 
loop, but made of two grids set at right angles to 
each other. But gosh! I never thought about 
there being interferences under water." 

"I suppose Henry understands all that," inter- 
rupted Rawlins laughingly, "but it means about as 
much to me as that Dutch talk I heard. Somehow 
or other I can't get on to this radio a little bit. 
When you get that sending outfit rigged you'll 
have to go down and test it. I'd probably bungle 
something. I didn't even dare meddle with this 
gadget for tuning. I tried it once and when your 
voice stopped I just shoved her back and let it 
go at that. That's when I heard that Dutchman." 

"Then he's on a different wave length and it 
proves we can tune out under water," declared 
Tom gleefully. "That's another feather in our 
caps." 

Henry quickly grasped the boys' ideas and to- 
90 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

gether the three worked diligently until sundown 
while Rawlins busied himself devising the fittings 
for his suit to accommodate the sending apparatus 
and helped the boys tremendously with suggestions 
for rendering a set water-tight and with advice as 
to mechanical and other details. 

By the time they were obliged to stop their 
work the plans for the under-sea transmission set 
were well worked out and, with high hopes and 
flushed with the success of their achievements, they 
locked up the workshop and walked up town dis- 
cussing plans for the morrow. 

The following day they went to the dock right 
after breakfast, for school was over for the season 
and they had all their time to themselves. Raw- 
lins was already there and before they left that 
night they had the set nearly completed and Tom 
declared they wowld be able to give it a test the 
next day. 

Mr. Pa;uling was of course deeply interested and 
enthusiastic over the boys' work and promised to 
go down himself as soon as the instruments were 
perfected. He listened to the boys' glowing ac- 
counts of their work and their success and later, 

91 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

when Mr. Henderson called, he too became most 
optimistic regarding their under-sea radio. 

"It's merely a question of experimenting, boys," 
he declared. "We were on the right track during 
the war, but radio's jumped ahead a lot since then 
and whatever the government experts accomplish 
is kept mighty quiet. I'm glad that single control 
works out so well. We'll have to thank the Huns 
for that. We found one on a captured U-boat, but 
as far as I know the government never took it up 
seriously — don't know why unless it was because 
there was no particular need of it. We never did 
find out what the Germans used it for — for all we 
know they may have been experimenting along 
under-sea lines too. And if that new tube of 
Michelson's proves good he'll make a fortune and 
have you boys to thank for it. I'm coming down 
to see your outfit just as soon as we get a 
breathing space. We're rushed to death just 
now." 

With nothing else to do the boys amused them- 
selves listening at their sets which, with so many 
other interests, had been sadly neglected of late, 
and, out of pure curiosity and never expecting to 

92 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

hear anything, Tam turned his loop aerial to the 
southeast and tuned for the short wave lengths 
used hy the mysterious talker they had once fol- 
lowed and tried to locate so persistently. To his 
surprise, the sound of words came clearly over the 
set. 

**There he is again!" Tom exclaimed to Frank 
who was listening to a broadcasted speech. "Get 
him and we'll see what he says." 

But despite the fact that the boys could both 
hear the man plainly his words were meaningless, 
for he was speaking some guttural, harsh-sounding 
tongue. 

"Oh, pshaw!" ejaculated Tom disgustedly after 
a few minutes of this. "Who cares what he's say- 
ing. I guess it's some crazy foreigner." 

So saying, he again picked up the broadcasting 
station and forgot all about the incident in his 
interest as he listened to a lecture on new develop- 
ments in radio. 

"Some night we'll be listening to that fellow talk- 
ing about the new under-sea radio," chuckled 
Frank as the talk ceased and the boys laid aside 
their receivers. "Say, won't it be sport to hear 

93 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

him telling about us and know all the fellows are 
listening to it?" 

"Well, we wont count our chickens just yet," 
declared Tom sagely. "Just because that receiv- 
ing set works isn't any proof the sending set will. 
And without being able to talk back a diver isn't 
any better off — or at least much better off — if he 
can hear what's going on in the air." 

But Tom might have been far more confident, 
for the following day when the test was made it 
worked much better than their most sanguine ex- 
pectations had led them to think possible. To be 
sure, their experiments came to an abrupt ending 
right in the midst of the test, for the sending set 
on Tom's suit leaked and, with a feeble buzz 
and sputter, his words trailed off to nothing- 
ness. 

But when, upon reaching the surface, Rawlins 
reported that he had heard everything Tom had 
said and Fremk and Henry in the shop had also 
heard him, the boys knew that their plans and the 
principles of the outfit were all right and that only 
the question of making the set absolutely water- 
tight remained to be solved. 

94 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

"I don't see why it should not be inside the 
suit," declared Rawlins, as the boys were discussing 
the matter and were at a loss to know how to ac- 
complish their aims. "You say these wireless 
waves go through everything and we get them 
through the suit in the receiving set so why 
shouldn't they go out through everything just as 
well. Look here, I was thinking over this last 
night and here's my idea." 

As the boys gathered about, the diver rapidly 
sketched his plan of a new suit in which the send- 
ing set could be placed within a receptacle full 
of compressed air. 

"I believe that would work," cried Tom when 
he grasped Rawlins' scheme. "I don't see why 
compressed air should affect the outfit any and 
it's easy enough to make water-tight fittings where 
the wires come out and there's no tuning to do. 
We can always use a special wave length and if 
several men were talking under water each one 
could have his own wave length. Yes. I'll bet 
you've solved the puzzle, Mr. Rawlins." 

Keen on the new plan the boys started a new set, 
or rather two new sets, for they wished to make a 

95 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

test to determine if two men under water could 
converse, while Rawlins busied himself on the 
special suits and air pockets to be used. 

"We'll have to balance the weight of the set 
against the increased buoyancy of this compressed 
air," he remarked as he worked. "But I see where 
that's an advantage. One of your troubles has 
been the weight of batteries and by this air cais- 
son arrangement weight won't cut any figure under 
water." 

"But suppose the air pocket springs a leak?" 
queried Frank. "We'd be just as badly oflf as be- 
fore." 

"Well, I don't calculate to have it leak," replied 
Rawlins, "but if you make the sets as near water- 
tight as you can, they'd still go on working for some 
time before they got soaked. And if I can't make 
a little caisson that'll hold a hundred pounds of 
air for ten or twelve hours I'll give up diving and 
drive a taxi." 

Several days, however, were required to get the 
set and the air pocket suits ready and when, after 
a test in the workshop, everything seemed in per- 
fect working order, Tom and Rawlins donned their 

96 



THE UNDER-SEA WIRELESS 

suits and prepared to descend the ladder through 
the trapdoor. 

Just before his head dipped beneath the sur- 
face of the water Tom spoke into his mouthpiece 
and Frank, listening at his instruments, gave a start 
as his chum's voice came clearly to his ears. 

"So long, old man," came Tom's cheery voice, 
which somehow Frank had expected would sound 
muffled. "Keep your ear glued to the set and be 
ready for great news. I'll bet we give you a sur- 
prise." 

The next instant only a few bubbles marked the 
spot where Tom had sunk beneath the surface of 
the water, and little did he or the others dream how 
much truth was in his parting words or what an 
amazing surprise was awaiting not only Frank 
but himself. 



CHAPTER VI 
THE RED MENACE 

DURING the weeks while Tom and his 
friends were busy at their work on the 
under-sea radio, grave and sinister events 
were taking place, of which the boys knew little 
or nothing, but which kept Mr. Pauling, Mr. Hen- 
derson and their men in a perpetual state of worry, 
and of sleepless nights and unceasing work. 

Close upon the heels of the unprecedented in- 
flux of contraband liquor, which despite every 
effort continued undiminished and which had com- 
pletely baffled the officials, came a flood of Bol- 
shevist propaganda of the most dangerous and 
revolutionary character. Suddenly, and without 
warning, it had appeared throughout the country. 
Every town, city and village was filled with it 
and so cleverly were the circulars, booklets and 
handbills worded, so logical were the arguments 
and statements they contained, so appealing to the 
uneducated foreign element and the dissatisfied 

98 



THE RED MENACE 

army of the unemployed that they were greedily 
read, accepted and absorbed until the country 
was menaced by a red revolution and officials went 
to bed never knowing what bloodshed and de- 
struction the morrow might hold in store. 

Almost coincident with this came a wave of 
crime. Hold-ups, burglars, murders, kidnap- 
ing and incendiarism swept like an epidemic 
through the big cities. Scarcely a day passed 
that the daily papers did not bear glaring head- 
lines announcing some new and daring crime. 
Bank messengers, paymasters, cashiers and busi- 
ness men were held up at the point of revolvers 
or were blackjacked on the public streets in 
broad daylight. Stores and shops were boldly 
entered by masked bandits who held up and 
robbed the clerks and customers alike. Taxis 
and motor cars were attacked, their occupants 
beaten into unconsciousness and robbed and 
the vehicles stolen under the noses of the po- 
lice. Homes of the rich, banks and business houses 
were entered and ransacked despite electric bur- 
glar alarms and armed guards. Each day the dar- 
ing criminals grew bolder. From thugs they were 

99 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

changing into murderous bandits; where formerly 
a man was knocked down or blackjacked the vic- 
tims were now shot in cold blood. Murders and 
homicides were of daily occurrence. Even on 
crowded thoroughfares within sight of hundreds of 
passers-by men were killed and the bandits es- 
caped and no one felt that life and property were 
safe. The police seemed powerless and at a loss. 
Now and then a bandit was captured. Occasion- 
ally one would be shot down, wounded or killed by 
an officer or by some prospective victim, but still 
the crimes continued unabated. Indeed, the more 
the police strove to check the bandits the more they 
appeared to thrive and increase and the bolder 
they became. Lawlessness was rampant and, while 
the public wondered, criticized, clamored for pro- 
tection, and countless theories were put forth, those 
in the inner circle, the secret agents of the govern- 
ment and the trusted ones, knew that, back of it 
all, the underlying cause and the root of the evil 
was the red propaganda which they were powerless 
to check. 

Many were the secret meetings, the closely 
guarded conferences held between the untiring of- 

100 



THE RED MENACE 

ficers detailed to run the menace to earth, to stamp 
the venomous Bolshevist serpent underfoot, to 
bring the country to its safe and sane law-abiding 
state of the past. And prominent in all such 
closely guarded, mysterious councils were Mr. 
Pauling and Mr. Henderson. 

"There is some one mind directing it all, in my 
opinion," declared Mr. Pauling. "Some arch 
criminal — a Bolshevist emissary — some man with 
a tremendous brain, marvelous executive ability, 
immense personal magnetism, but whose mind, 
heart and soul are warped and twisted. One who 
is such a criminal as the world has fortunately 
never known before. H we can lay our hands on 
him the rest will be easy. Without a leader, with- 
out a directive brain, these common criminals will 
be lost. They are arrant cowards, mere tools and 
yet, by some almost superhuman power, are con- 
trolled, directed, moved like pawns on a chess- 
board by an unseen, mysterious being who so far 
has completely baflfled us." 

"I agree with you perfectly," said Mr. Hender- 
son. "I believe the same man, the same arch 
fiend, is back of the rum-running; that this is 

101 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

merely a tryout, a test, to see if we can detect 
him and that through it all is a deep-laid, dastardly 
plot to inflame the people and at the same time en- 
rich himself. To my mind, it savors of some one 
far greater in brain power, in intrigue and in abil- 
ity than those unshaven, misguided Russians. It 
looks far more as if it were German work — per- 
haps some high officer of the Prussian army or 
navy — who, afraid of his own republican country- 
men and filled with a fiendish desire for revenge, 
is devoting himself to the destruction of law and 
order in the United States." 

"That is very plausible as a theory," remarked 
another man, "but it does not get us anywhere. 
If this is so, where does this master mind stay? 
"Where are his headquarters? Surely he must 
have underlings, — lieutenants and trusted emis- 
saries and some place, some headquarters, from 
which his nefarious schemes are sent forth. Noth- 
ing comes in by mail or by passengers we know. 
Every alien who enters is known. Not a word 
that tends to bear out your theories had been wrung 
from the men captured even though they were on 
the verge of death or were about to go to the 

102 



THE RED MENACE 

electric chair. No, I do not agree with you. It's 
merely the aftermath of the war. Men were taught 
to handle firearms and to kill their fellow men. 
They were fed up, encouraged and lived with excite- 
ment and constant peril. The war ended; they 
were out of work, they pined for the thrill of dan- 
ger and their viewpoint of life, of property and of 
right and wrong was distorted. Banditry offered 
an easy way of securing funds ; it filled their desire 
for excitement; it satisfied their grudge against 
society and their country and, like all crimes 
which succeed, it became contagious and got a 
grip on more and more men. It's all the logical 
outcome of the war and in my opinion the red 
propaganda has nothing whatever to do with it." 
Mr. Henderson smiled. "Perhaps I may be able 
to change your views, Selwin," he remarked. "I 
wanted to know your ideas before I came out 
with it. As you all know, I was on special work 
during the war — detailed to decode all suspicious 
messages that came in by radio or cable and to 
use my vivid imagination to try to find hidden 
meanings in apparently innocent messages. You 
all know the result, and there is no need of recalling 

103 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

specific cases, such as the famous sugar shipment to 
Garcia and the annoimcement of a baby's birth but 
which, thanks to my 'hunch' or imagination or 
whatever you wish to call it, led to the apprehen- 
sion of the most dangerous female spy of the time 
and the confiscation of those incriminating 
documents which saved the Leviathan from 
destruction, prevented several thousand of our boys 
from going to the bottom of the sea, kept Brooklyn 
bridge from being blown to bits, thus blocking the 
Navy Yard, and prevented countless women and 
children from being widows and orphans. But 
perhaps you do not all know that, back of that 
stupendous plot, that greatest attempted coup of 
the enemy to terrorize and cripple the United 
States, that supreme effort of a dying, beaten na- 
tion to turn the tide of war and transform her from 
the vanquished to the victor, was the work of one 
man. To him was entrusted this almost superhu- 
man task. The reward, if he succeeded, was to be 
honors and riches beyond conception. Had he won 
he would to-day be seated upon the throne of Eng- 
land — the despotic, iron-handed governor of a 
German colony with his feet upon the neck of the 

104 



THE RED MENACE 

British people and with the colossal indemnity, 
which it had been planned to exact from our coun- 
try, as his monetary reward. If he failed, his life 
was to pay the forfeit. Not only his life was to 
be sacrificed, but his lands and property were to 
be confiscated, his family imprisoned, degraded 
and exiled. It was, I think, the greatest, the most 
stupendous gamble ever known. And the gambler 
lost! By the merest chance, by pure accident, by 
a coincidence which no human being could have 
foreseen, his messages — the vital message — came 
into my hands and, through a tiny mistake, an 
error which might have passed a thousand eyes 
unnoticed, the conspirator — this gambler in nations 
and life — was betrayed and all his efforts, his 
widespread plots, his carefully organized plans 
came to nothing. But yet he escaped. Evidently 
he considered a gambling debt one that could be 
disregarded. His country, or rather his emperor, 
had overlooked a most important matter. He had 
failed to provide for getting hold of the gambler 
to collect his debt. No doubt, had Germany been 
victorious, some emissary of the Kaiser would 
eventually have found this man and would have 

105 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

exacted payment in full. But with Germany's 
downfall he was safe — at least as long as he re- 
mained out of Germany — and so completely did 
he efface himself that we came to the conclusion 
that he had committed suicide. But, gentlemen, I 
am willing to wager my reputation that he still lives. 
I have evidence which to my mind is absolutely 
conclusive that he is at the bottom of this Bol- 
shevist propaganda, this influx of liquor, this wave 
of crime." 

Amazed, the others gazed at Mr. Henderson as 
he paused after this surprising announcement. 

"Jove! That's some statement!" cried one. 
"If you're right, Henderson, we've got our work 
cut out for us. I can see why he might do it 
though. I know who you mean — there's no use 
mentioning names even here. And if it is he I 
can understand why he has picked on Uncle Sam. 
But, by Jove, old man, if 'tis he, then watch your 
step! He's no man to forgive or forget. He'll 
have his eye on you and mark you for a come-back, 
rU wager." 

Henderson smiled grimly. "He has already," 
he remarked dryly. "That's my proof that he's 

106 



THE RED MENACE 

the man. Like all of his kind he's so con- 
foundedly conceited, so cocksure of himself, so 
puffed up with his own importance that, sooner or 
later, he's bound to overdo himself. He cannot 
resist the temptation to let some one know what a 
big toad in the puddle he is. He must boast or bust 
and such men always hang themselves if you give 
them rope enough. Here's the rope he's hung 
himself with!" 

As he finished, Mr. Henderson tossed a sheet of 
paper on the table and the others crowded close ta 
examine it. 

To the casual observer, it would have meant lit- 
tle. A sheet of ordinary note paper with a single 
line written by a typewriter across it. There was 
no date, no signature, merely the words: "Re- 
member Mercedes and Garcia." But to these keen- 
eyed, square-jawed, quiet men those words carried 
grave import. To them, it meant more than pages 
of writing might have carried. 

"I guess you're right," exclaimed Selwin. 
"That i^ as far as his being alive and this coming 
from him is concerned. But why do you think he 
or this has any connection with the other matters?" 

107 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Another coincidence — or perhaps you'll say 
imagination," replied Mr. Henderson. "Examine 
this pamphlet — the latest effusion of our red propa- 
gandists. Do you notice anything peculiar about 
it?" 

Each man shook his head as the flimsy pamphlet 
passed from hand to hand. 

"Very well," commented Mr. Henderson. "You 
notice that it's not printed — ^that is, with type. It's 
a zincotype impression from typewriting. And if 
you look closely you'll also see that the small "a" 
lias a broken tail, the capital "T" has a little twist 
in one arm of the top, the small "e" is flattened or 
hattered and the "B" always shows a tiny smudge 
above it where the character on the same key 
struck the paper owing to the type bar being 
bent slightly. Now, kindly examine this terse 
note I showed you and see if you do not 
find the identical defects in the same let- 
ters." 

"By Jove, yes!" cried one, as they again studied 
the paper. "Henderson, you're a winner. The 
machine that wrote one wrote the other. Not a 
shade of a doubt of it. But how about the rest of 

108 



THE RED MENACE 

these dirty sheets and how about the bandits and 
the liquor?" 

"I've examined several thousand circulars and 
pamphlets," replied Mr. Henderson, "and all that 
are typewritten are the same. Our friend is doing 
all the writing on one machine. I imagine he is 
hanging out somewhere and takes no chances by 
entrusting his work to outsiders. A man could do 
all the typing and could make zinc photo plates in 
a single small room. As for my hunch that the 
rum-runners are connected with the same gang, it's 
based on this." 

As he spoke, he placed a small metal object on 
the table, a bit of lead about half an inch in diam- 
eter and resembling a small coin. The others 
picked it up and examined it curiously. 

"Well, what's this to do with the matter?" asked 
one. 

"This note," replied Mr. Henderson, "was left at 
my door and to prevent it from blowing away this 
bit of lead was placed upon it. You don't see 
anything suspicious about it, but you may when I 
draw your attention to the fact that this is a metal 
seal from a particular brand and make of an ex- 

109 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

tremely high-priced French West Indian liquor. 
Until the day after I received this reminder of 
Mercedes and Garcia, there was not, to the best of 
our knowledge and belief, a single bottle of that 
Pere Kerrman liqueur in the United States — except 
possibly in the private stock of some millionaire or 
exclusive club. Two days later, the country was 
flooded with it." 

"You win!" cried Selwin. "Now about the ban- 
dits. Have you got them dead to rights, too?" 

"Ask Pauling," replied Mr. Henderson. "He's 
the next witness." 

"Here's my exhibit A," said Mr. Pauling, as he 
drew a creased paper from an inside pocket and 
placed it before the assembled officials. 

"H-m-m, another threat, eh?" remarked the 
first one who examined it. 

"Yes, commanding me to drop investigation of 
that hold-up gang that the police nabbed on West 
16th St. last week. Nothing was said while the 
police were at it, but as soon as I took hold I re- 
ceived this." 

"And written with the same old machine!" ex- 
claimed Selwin. "All right, Pauling, I may be 

110 



THE RED MENACE 

from Missouri, but you and Henderson have shown 
me. Now let's plan a campaign." 

"If these two notes were sent by the same man, 
as they appear to have been," remarked a quiet 
man who heretofore had said nothing but had been 
steadily consuming one black cigar after another 
by the process of chewing them between his strong 
white teeth, "then our game is right underfoot, so 
to speak — right in little old Manhattan probably." 

"Bully for you, Meredith!" cried a small, wiry, 
nervous man, clapping the other familiarly on the 
back. " 'The mills of the gods,' etc., you know. 
Where did you fish that idea from?" 

"From some place you lack — a brain," retorted 
Meredith continuing to bite savagely at his cigar. 
"But, fooling aside," he went on, "it's a cinch he 
is. Henderson and Pauling get their notes only 
two days apart and, what's more, Pauling gets his 
within twenty-four hours after he starts that in- 
vestigation. No time for word to get any other 
place and have a bit of typewritten paper get back." 

"Huh! Then, according to you, all this red 
rubbish is also written right in the old home-town, 
eh?" snorted the thin man. 

Ill 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Yep," replied Meredith. "Expect that's why 
we haven't nailed its source yet. Fact is, I believe 
there isn't any rum being smuggled in. Been 
stored here and just being distributed now. Bet 
we've all been walking over the trail star-gazing. 
So darned sure it was all coming in from outside 
we never thought of it being right alongside of 
us." 

"That's a possibility," admitted Henderson and 
then, dropping their voices, the half dozen men 
earnestly discussed plans, offered suggestions, ex- 
amined mysterious documents stored in a hidden 
and massive safe in the wall and pored over maps 
and diagrams which no one, outside of this inner 
circle, would ever see. 

At the end of two hours, the conference broke 
up. The papers and documents were replaced in 
their secret vault, the maps and diagrams were 
locked in a steel box and thrust in another safe 
and the men chatted on various matters, discussing 
the latest news, arguing the respective merits of 
motor cars, expressing opinions as to the next pen- 
nant winner, telling jokes and thoroughly enjoying 
themselves as if they had not a care in the world 

112 



THE RED MENACE 

and were not literally carrying their lives in their 
hands day and night. 

"What's that boy of yours doing in radio now?" 
asked Meredith, addressing Mr. Pauling when the 
conversation finally turned towards wireless. 
^'Henderson was telling me about their 'radio de- 
tective' stuff. Great kid — ^Tom." 

"Oh, he and Frank Putney are working on a sub- 
marine radio scheme. I met a young chap at Nas- 
sau with a new-fangled diving suit and he and the 
boys are trying to work out a radio outfit to use 
under water. Say, they're succeeding, too." 

"Jove! that's a great scheme!" exclaimed an- 
other. "Under-sea wireless! Well, I'll be hanged, 
what won't our kids be up to next!" 

"Wish we'd had anything as good to tinker with 
when we were kids," declared Selwin. "I remem- 
ber how every one laughed at Marconi when he first 
started wireless. My boy's crazy over it now. 
Well, I must be getting on." 

Rising, Selwin slipped from the room, sauntered 
casually about the corridor, noted the seemingly in- 
attentive janitor brushing imaginary dust from a 
window frame, knew that the lynx-eyed guard was 

113 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

on his job, and without a sign of recognition made 
his way to the elevator and the street. At inter- 
vals of half an hour or so the others left, some 
by the same corridor, others through an outer 
room, where an office boy seemed dozing in a chair 
over a lurid, paper-covered novel — but upon whose 
boyish, freckled cheeks a closely-shaven, heavy 
beard might have been detected by a near examina- 
tion — ^while still others took a roundabout route 
and descended to the street on the opposite side of 
the building. At last, only Mr. Pauling and Hen- 
derson were left and the two friends, glad of a 
chance to have a quiet smoke and to be free from 
care for a short time, sat chatting and talking over 
Mr. Pauling's last trip to the West Indies. 

"It was positively baffling," stated Mr. Pauling 
in reply to a question. "I knew they were filled 
to the gunwales with liquor and I knew as well 
as I wanted to that the cargo was going to the States 
and yet, when they got here and our men boarded 
them they were either empty or carried legitimate 
cargoes or else they never touched our ports and 
came back empty. It's common talk that the stuflf 
is going to us, but no one has given away how it's 

114 



THE RED MENACE 

done yet. Why, I even had one trailed — shad- 
owed by a disguised cutter — and they kept her 
within sight for days and then I'll be hanged if 
she didn't come back without a sign of cargo. Now 
where did they land it? Only solution is they 
got cold feet and heaved it overboard." 

"More likely they met some other craft during 
the night and transhipped," suggested Mr. Hender- 
son. "I imagine that's how they get it in. Have 
some prearranged signal and spot and ship the 
stuff in at another port while they sail boldly into 
harbor. Of course we're watching for them and 
let up on other places and while we're boarding 
the suspect the other craft gets in on some unfre- 
quented bit of coast and meets a truck or car. It's 
not hard. We can't guard all the coast with our 
force and I'm sure that game's played sometimes, 
if not always. We've taken a lot of stuff that 
afterwards proved to be colored water or cane- 
juice and of course they didn't bring that from 
Cuba or the Bahamas just for the sake of getting 
our goats." 

"And then there were the Chinese," resumed Mr. 
Pauling. "Of course there we've another difficulty 

115 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

because, onqe set ashore or near shore, John can 
look after himself and doesn't need a truck to 
carry him out of our sight. Just the same I'd 
give a lot to know the secret of their putting it over 
on us." 

"I've often wondered if those boys — ^Tom and 
Frank — ^weren't right about that strange conversa- 
tion they overheard," ruminated Mr. Henderson. 
"I'm morally certain they were all right in their 
cross bearings with their loops, although I didn't 
tell them so — and yet we found nothing there. 
Have you asked the boys if they've heard any- 
thing more of it lately?" 

"No, but I will," Mr. Pauling replied. "They've 
been so busy with this new idea I expect they've 
forgotten all about it. I promised I'd go down 
to see their — Hello, there's the phone. Wonder 
who 'tis." 

Leaning forward, Mr. Pauling drew the exten- 
sion phone towards him, lifted the receiver and 
placed it at his ear. 

"Yes, this is Mr. Pauling speaking," he said. 
Then his face blanched, his cigar dropped from 
his fingers and in anxious, frightened tones he 

116 



THE RED MENACE 

cried. "What's that you say? Frank! What's 
that? Tom under water! Calling for help! 
Having a fight with — with what? Never mind! 
Calling through the radio! Yes, I'll be down in- 
stantly!" 

Slamming the receiver on its hook Mr. Pauling 
leaped to his feet. 

"It's Frank!" he cried. "Says Tom's calling 
for help from under water. Lord knows what's 
up! Send Jameson and a bunch of men. Order 
a patrol down. Rawlins' dock, foot of 28th. 
You know the place. Come yourself, too!' 

Jerking open a drawer, Mr. Pauling grabbed up 
a heavy revolver, shoved it into his pocket, dashed 
through the door and as he passed the supposed 
janitor gave a terse order. "Get inside!" he ex- 
claimed, "Henderson needs you." The next in- 
stant he was plunging down the stairs. With a 
bound he cleared the last few steps, hurtled like a 
football player through the pedestrians on the side- 
walk, leaped into his waiting car and the next in- 
stant was violating every traffic law as he drove 
madly through the streets. Once only did he 
slacken speed when, as he rounded the comer, 

117 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

lie caught a glimpse of one of his men and with 
a gesture summoned him. Instantly, the man 
obeyed, leaped on the running board and as the 
machine again darted ahead clambered in beside 
Mr. Pauling. 

Before Mr. Pauling's footsteps had sounded on 
the stairs, before the secret service man in the 
janitor's overalls could dodge inside the room, 
Mr. Henderson was talking over a private wire to 
the nearest police station. Ten seconds later, he 
was rushing downstairs with the erstwhile janitor 
at his heels and hard on the wake of Mr. Pauling's 
car his runabout went tearing in the same direc- 
tion. 

As they swung from Fourth Avenue into 28th 
St., gaping crowds lined the sidewalks craning 
their necks and peering down the street where, far 
ahead, the police patrol was startling the neigh- 
borhood with its clanging bell as it followed the 
lead of Mr. Pauling's car. 

What had happened, what danger was menacing 
his boy, Mr. Pauling could not guess. But that 
Tom was in deadly peril he felt sure. Frank's 
agonized tones proved that, and while his inco- 

118 



THE RED MENACE 

herent, stammering words carried no explanation 
Mr. Pauling knew that his son was calling for aid 
from under the water, that something terrible had 
occurred. Through his mind had instantly flashed 
the threat of the bandit chief, the threat to make 
him sweat blood if he continued his investigations. 
Could it be that? Had the thugs captured or at- 
tacked Tom to injure his father? And where was 
Rawlins? With nerves already strained from 
overwork and failure to accomplish what the 
government demanded of him, Mr. Pauling, who 
was noted for his self-possession, his calmness and 
clear-headedness in the most trying and perilous 
moments, was now mad with fear and his teeth 
actually chattered with nervousness. His car, rac- 
ing at break-neck speed, seemed almost to crawl. 
Every corner seemed to be purposely blocked by 
traffic. He thought he had never seen so many 
persons crossing the streets, so many slow-moving, 
horse-drawn vehicles impeding his progress. He 
cursed aloud, handled his levers with savage jerks, 
gritted his teeth and mentally prayed he would not 
be too late. Now, behind him, he could hear the 
clanging, oncoming patrol truck — he knew Hen- 

119 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

derson had lost no time. Before him lay the end 
of the street, the river and the docks. With a reck- 
less twist he swung the car into the waterfront 
street, took the turn on two wheels, drove it diag- 
onally, regardless of cursing truck-men, across the 
cobbled road, and with squealing brakes, brought 
it to a skidding stop by Rawlins' dock. Before 
it had lost headway he had leaped out, the detec- 
tive at his side, and as he burst into the boys' work- 
shop a crowd of blue-clad policemen were jump- 
ing from the still moving patrol and were crowding 
at his heels. 



CHAPTER VII 
THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

HENRY watched Tom's head disappear, 
he saw the little silvery bubbles rising, 
for an instant he could distinguish the 
darker shadow in the water which marked his 
friend, and then nothing but the rippling green 
surface of the river was visible through the open 
trapdoor in the floor of the dock. He and Frank 
were alone, Tom and Rawlins were beneath the 
river, and yet, down there at the bottom of the 
gurgling water, the unseen two could hear every 
word spoken in the room above. It was marvelous, 
fantastic and almost incredible. But even more 
wonderful and impossible events were about to take 
place. Frank had already heard Tom's parting 
words over the set, although not a sound had issued 
from his helmet, and now, with the others under 
die water, Frank was again talking. 

"Yes, I can hear you finely," he said. "Say, 
it's wonderful. Where are you? Right under 

121 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

the dock? I'm going to let Henry talk to you. I 
feel as if I were dreaming!" 

As Henry listened at the set and Tom's words 
came to his ears he actually jumped, for he had 
never expected the words to come as plainly and 
distinctly as if Tom had been in the room with him 
and talking to him direct. 

"That you, Henry?" came Tom's voice. "Gee, 
but it's great. I can hear you just as well as if 
I were up there. Does my voice sound loud?" 

"Loud as if you were standing alongside of 
me," Henry assured him. "I can't believe you're 
really under water." 

So, for some time, the three boys and Rawlins 
conversed, chatting and laughing, expressing their 
wonder and delight in boyish expletives and over- 
joyed at finding their plans and their work had 
proved such an immense success. 

"We're going off a ways," announced Tom, at 
last. "Mr. Rawlins wants to find out how far 
away we can hear and send. We're going to walk 
down the river. You keep talking and after we've 
gone a few hundred yards we'll call you. If you 
don't reply that you heard us we'll keep walking 

122 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

back and trying until you do get us. Then we'll 
know our range." 

For a time, the two boys on the dock kept up a 
steady conversation with Tom and Rawlins, and, 
much to their surprise, the sounds of their 
friends' voices continued as loud as when they 
were directly under the dock. 

"It's a funny thing," remarked Frank during a 
lull in the under-sea conversation, "I thought they'd 
get out of range very soon. I never would 
have believed that these little fifty-meter waves 
could carry that far with only a two-foot grid for 
an aerial. The water must be a heap better for 
waves than the air." 

Then there was an interval when no sounds came 
in and Frank was about to call to Tom when, to 
his ears, came a suppressed "Wha-wha" followed 
by a hoarse "Sssh!" 

Whether Rawlins had intended this for Tom or 
himself Frank did not know, but he decided that, 
for some unknown reason, the diver wished silence 
and so wisely refrained from speaking. 

"I would like to know what Mr. Rawlins wanted 
to be quiet for," said Frank, holding his hand over 

123 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

the mouthpiece of his microphone. "But I sup- 
pose there's some good reason for it." 

Scarcely had he ceased speaking when he was 
startled by a sharp exclamation of surprise from 
Tom. 

So unexpected was it that Frank responded in- 
voluntarily. "What's that you said?" he asked, 
exactly as though Tom had been there in the room. 
But there was no audible reply, merely some faint 
sounds like subdued whispers, followed by si- 
lence. 

"Gee, there's something mighty funny going 
on!" exclaimed Frank, addressing Henry. "Tom 
said *Gosh' something and then, when I answer he 
doesn't say a thing — ^just some little sounds like 
whispers. Say, I do wonder what they're up to!" 

"Oh, I expect they're trying to see if they can 
talk together without your hearing them," sug- 
gested Henry. "Probably that's why Mr. Rawlins 
told you to be quiet." 

"Well, I'm going to find out," declared Frank. 
^'They've no right to keep us wondering like this." 

"Hello!" he cried into the microphone. "What 
on earth's the matter? I haven't heard a word 

124 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

from you two for five minutes. Can you hear 
mer 

But instead of Tom's voice in reply Frank was 
amazed to hear thick, guttural words rapidly spo- 
ken, and among them he made out only one that 
he understood, the name "Oleander." 

"Henry!" exclaimed Frank, speaking in hushed 
tones as if he feared being overheard, "Henry, 
there's that fellow talking again — ^the one you and 
Mr. Rawlins heard — talking in Dutch or some- 
thing!" 

Then the strange voices ceased and very faintly 
and indistinctly Frank heard Tom's voice asking, 

"What does it mean?" 

Frank was puzzled. "What does what mean?" 
he inquired into the microphone. But the reply, 
if Tom made one, was drowned out and confused 
by Rawlins' voice. Frank could not distinguish 
all the words, but he knew from the sounds and in- 
tonations that Tom and the diver were discussing 
some matter between them and he refrained from 
interrupting. 

Then the voices ceased and Frank called, beg- 
ging Tom to explain matters, asking if anything 

125 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

was wrong. But for a moment there was no reply 
and he wondered if his voice could be heard. 

Then to his ears came Tom's familiar "Gosh!" 
a few unintelligible words and a shrill whistle, 
followed by Rawlins' voice. Part of it Frank 
could not catch but as he strained his ears he dis- 
tinctly heard Rawlins exclaim: 

"We're in a dangerous place! Come on. Let 
me go first!" 

Frank's face paled. "Jehoshaphat!" he ex- 
claimed to Henry who, realizing that something 
mysterious was taking place beneath the river, was 
bending close. "Jehoshaphat! They're in dan- 
ger! Say, what can it be? Maybe they're 
caught in quicksand or a current or under a 
boat." 

Pleadingly, with fright and worry expressed in 
his tones, Frank begged Tom to reply, to tell him 
what was wrong, what the danger was. For a 
space he waited anxiously for his chum's reply and 
then, at last, it came. 

"It's all right," called Tom. "Don't worry. 
Stop talking and just listen!" 

Frank turned to Henry and disconnected the mi- 
126 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

crophone by throwing off a switch to make sure 
that no sound could be sent. 

"I guess they're all right," he said. "But I'm 
worried just the same. Why should he want me 
to be quiet and just listen. Oh, I do wish they'd 
come back." 

"There's those foreign words again," he an- 
nounced presently, "and, say — I didn't think of it 
before — there are two talking now." 

Then followed silence, not a sound, not even a 
hum or buzz of interference greeted his ears and 
anxiously he listened, half fearful that some awful 
casualty had happened to Tom and Rawlins out 
there somewhere under the turbid waters of the 
river. 

The moments passed terribly slowly to the two 
boys and then Frank again gave a start as he heard 
Tom ejaculate "Gosh!" followed by some rapid 
low-spoken words, only one of which Frank could 
catch — the word "wreck." 

"That's it," he announced to Henry with a sigh 
of relief. "They've found a wreck. Gee! per- 
haps they've found treasure." 

Henry laughed gayly. "Oh, that's good!" he 
127 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

exclaimed. "Treasure in the East River! You 
must think you're down in the West Indies or some- 
where." 

"Well, I don't see what's so awful funny about 
finding a wreck or treasure in the East River," 
declared Frank petulantly. "Lots of boats have 
sunk here and why shouldn't one of 'em have treas- 
ure on it? I don't mean millions of dollars worth 
of gold or jewels of course — like pirates' treasure 
— but there might be a box of money or some- 
thing." 

"You're way oflf," replied Henry. "They 
wouldn't leave a wreck here for a week. They'd 
get it up or blow it up right away. Why, a wreck 
here would block the channel. No, sir, you heard 
'em wrong." 

"I did not!" stoutly maintained Frank. "I 
know Tom said something about a wreck. I don't 
care what you say. How do you know there isn't 
some old wreck out there somewhere? It may 
have been there for years; how would any one 
know?" 

"Why, Mr. Rawlins and Tom aren't the only 
divers who ever went down here," insisted Henry. 

128 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

"The city and the government and wrecking com- 
panies and contractors have divers going down 
all the time. I've watched 'em working heaps of 
times. Father's a construction engineer and I 
know he always has divers at work around New 
York. Some of 'em would have found a wreck 
if it had been there." 

"Well, anyway we'll know pretty soon," said 
Frank. "They can't stay down much longer. 
They must " 

With a startled cry his words ended and his 
scared, pale face told Henry that something dread- 
ful had happened. Ringing in Frank's ears, 
shrill, filled with deadly terror, the shriek of a 
hoy frightened almost out of his senses, came 
Tom's despairing cry — a wordless, awful scream. 

"What's the matter?" Frank forced his para- 
lyzed tongue to form the words. "Tom! Oh, 
Tom! What's wrong? Why did you yell?" 

"Help! Send for help!" rang back the answer. 
"It's awful" — followed by words so filled with 
mortal terror that Frank could make nothing of 
them and then — "Get Dad! Get the police!" 

Frank waited to hear no more. Dropping the 
129 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

receivers he leaped across the room, jerked the 
receiver from the telephone and frantically called 
for Mr. Pauling's number. But in his fright and 
terror, his fear for Tom, his hurried words were 
a mere jumble to the operator. 

"Can't hear you," came the girl's voice. 
"What number did you say?" 

Again Frank yelled. "Watkins 6636!" he 
cried, striving to make his words clear. 

"Watkins 3666?" inquired the girl, and Frank 
could almost hear her masticating gum. 

"No, 6636!" he screamed. "Hurry!" 

The seconds that followed seemed like years 
to Frank. Across his brain flashed a thousand 
fears and he suffered untold agonies as he stood 
there, sweat pouring from his face. What if Mr. 
Pauling should not be in his office? Suppose the 
line were busy? What if the girl got the wrong 
number? How slow she was! Had she forgotten 
the call? Would no one answer? And then, 
when he was sure he must have waited hours, his 
heart gave a great leap, a load seemed lifted from 
his mind as he heard Mr. Pauling's cheery, deep- 
throated: 

130 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

"Hello! Who is it?" 

"It's Frank!" fairly screamed the boy. "Tom's 
in trouble! I don't know what — ^he's under the 
river — ^with Mr. Rawlins. He wants help! Sent 
for you! Wants police!" 

Then, when at last Mr. Pauling had succeeded in 
grasping the message and in excited tones had 
shouted, "All right, I'll be down instantly!" Frank 
sank limply to the floor. 

But the next second he was up and at the table 
by the radio set. 

"Have you heard anything?" he inquired anx- 
iously of Henry, who had taken up the receivers 
and had been listening while Frank called Mr. 
Pauling. , 

"Not a word," replied Henry. 

"Oh, gosh! Oh, I do wish they'd hurry!" ex- 
claimed Frank. "Oh, they're terribly slow! And 
how will they get to him? How do we know where 
he is?" 

Slowly the minutes dragged by. Each tick of 
the cheap clock on the table seemed to spell Tom's 
fate and still no sound came from beneath the 
river. Once, Henry thought he caught a word, 

131 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

an exclamation haK suppressed, but he could not 
be sure. He had called Tom, but no reply had 
come. Were the two dead? Had some awful 
calamity overtaken them at the bottom of the 
river? Was this to be the tragic end of all their 
experiments? Was Tom's death the reward for 
their success? 

Then, from far up the street, came the clamor 
of a bell, and the screech of a motor horn sounded 
from nearer at hand. 

At the same instant Henry uttered a glad, joy- 
ous cry. "They're all right!" he shouted. "I 
just heard Rawlins tell Tom to go ahead!" 

With a quick motion, he threw in the switch and 
at that moment Frank's ringing shout of joy filled 
the room. 

But before Henry could call to Tom, before he 
could utter a sound, hurrying, tramping footsteps 
echoed from the dock, the door burst inwards with 
a bang and into the room leaped Mr. Pauling. 
Beside him was a heavy-jawed man with drawn 
pistol and over his shoulder through the open door- 
way the boys saw the visored caps and blue coats 

of police. 

132 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

"They're safe!" yelled Frank, trying to make 
his voice heard above the excited, shouted interro- 
gations of Mr. Pauling. "We just heard them." 

Mr. Pauling leaped towards the open trapdoor, 
the police crowding at his heels. Henry dropped 
his instruments and joined them and all crowded 
forward. 

A shadow seemed to hover in the dull water and 
a slender affair of wire broke the surface. 

"They're here!" screamed Frank. 

"Thank God!" echoed Mr. Pauling fervently. 

Hardly had the words of thankfulness left his 
lips when he uttered a startled cry, and, throwing 
himself face downward at the edge of the trap- 
door, plunged his arms into the swirling water. 
The dim shadowy form of the diver whose helmet 
had just appeared, had swayed to one side; his 
hands, clutching the upper rungs of the ladder, 
had loosened their grasp, his arms had wavered 
and had taken a feeble stroke as if trying to swim 
and from the receiver on the table had issued a 
despairing cry, a choking, gurgling groan, ending 
in a gasp. 

Whether the swaying, half-floating form was 
133 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Tom or Rawlins, Mr. Pauling could not know, for 
in the suits identity was lost, but trained as he was 
through long years in a service where to act in- 
stinctively meant life or death, he instantly dropped 
to the floor and clutched at the dim figure beneath. 
Had he delayed for the fraction of a second he 
would have been too late, but, as it was, his fingers 
closed on one of the diver's wrists. The next in- 
stant he had grasped the other arm and a moment 
later, with Henderson's aid, he had dragged the 
dripping, limp form onto the dock and the two 
men were cutting the suit and helmet from the un- 
conscious form. But they already knew it was 
Tom. The boy's limbs projecting from the short 
tunic had proved this and Mr. Pauling's face was 
white and strained as they dragged the khaki- 
colored garment and the helmet from his son. 

"Thank Heaven Rawlins fixed those suits so he 
could not breathe flames!" exclaimed Mr. Hen- 
derson, as the helmet was drawn from Tom's head. 
"He's breathing, Pauling!" 

As he spoke, there was a disturbance at the door 
and the police stood aside as an ambulance sur- 
geon pushed his way hurriedly into the room. 

134 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

He bent over Tom in silence for an instant and 
then he glanced up and Mr. Pauling read good 
news in his eyes. 

"Don't worry!" he exclaimed. "He's not hurt. 
Hasn't breathed any water. Just in a faint, I 
think. He'll be around in a moment. Hello! 
Here's another!" 

While he had been speaking, another helmeted 
form had appeared, dragging a limp figure, and, 
holding to the latter's legs still another diver was 
climbing up the ladder. 

"What the dickens!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson 
glancing up. "Who the devil are these? Two 
divers go down and four come up!" 

Dropping the apparently lifeless diver on the 
floor Rawlins dragged off his helmet, glanced 
about in a puzzled way and then, without waiting 
to ask questions exclaimed, "Here, Doctor! 
Quick! Get at this chap!" 

At his words, the doctor and his assistant sprang 
to the side of the form on the floor and rapidly 
stripped off his helmet and, as the man's face was 
exposed, even the hardened surgeons could not re- 
strain a gasp of horror and amazement. The 

135 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

face was horrible to look upon. It was scorched, 
seared, blackened, the eyebrows burned off, the 
eyelids hanging in shreds, the sightless eyes star- 
ing white and opaque like those of a boiled fish. 
Rawlins gave a single glance at him. 

"Oh, Lord!" he ejaculated. "He's done for! 
He's had flames from the chemicals in his helmet! 
Poor devil, he must have suffered!" 

Then, turning to Mr. Henderson, he exclaimed. 

"Better get the suit off this other chap. Don't 
know who he is, but he's something rotten! Guess 
it's a good thing the police are here." 

As Mr. Henderson and Rawlins stepped towards 
the man who still wore his suit, the fellow raised 
an arm and leaped, or tried to leap, away, quite 
forgetting the heavy, lead-soled boots he wore. 
The result was that he tripped and fell heavily 
and, before Rawlins or Henderson could reach him, 
he was twisting and rolling towards the gaping trap- 
door. An instant more and he would have been 
in the water, but just as he reached the edge of 
the opening, Frank, who with Henry had been star- 
ing open-mouthed and dumbfounded at the sur- 
prising and incomprehensible events taking place 

136 



THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS 

so rapidly before them, sprang forward and 
slammed shut the door which, in falling, pinned 
the fellow's legs beneath it. Then, as if fearing 
the man might wriggle free, the excited boy 
jumped upon the heavy planks. But there was 
no fight or attempt to escape left in the fellow and, 
as several policemen rushed foward and seized 
him, he submitted without the least resistance and 
a moment later had been stripped of his suit. 

Once more it was Mr. Henderson's turn to be 
amazed, for, as he caught sight of the man's face, 
as he saw the closely-cropped, bullet-shaped head, 
the tiny, close-set piggish eyes and the big loose- 
lipped mouth he could scarcely believe his eyes 
and uttered a sharp exclamation of wonder. 

"Put the bracelets on him and don't give him 
a chance!" he ordered the police and, as the shin- 
ing irons snapped with a click about the man's 
wrists and the officers led him to one side, the small 
piglike eyes glared at Mr. Henderson with such 
mingled hatred, brutality and ferocity that the 
boys shivered. 

Rawlins was now bending above Tom beside 
Mr. Pauling and when, a moment later, the boy 

137 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

took a long, deep breath and his eyes fluttered 
open, the anxious, strained expression upon the 
diver's face vanished. 

"I'll say he's a good sport!" he ejaculated. 
"Poor kid! Don't wonder he went clean off! 
And he saved my life too — with his under-sea 
radio at that!" 



CHAPTER VIII 
ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

PERHAPS it may seem as if the boys had 
met with success too easily and had ac- 
complished far more in a short time than 
would be possible. But as a matter of fact they 
had encountered innumerable difficulties, had made 
numbers of mistakes, had been faced with failure 
or negative results time after time and would have 
given up in despair had it not been for the encour- 
agement of Mr. Pauling and Mr. Henderson and 
the never-ceasing optimism of Rawlins. Indeed, 
Rawlins had done fully as much to make the under- 
sea radio a success as had the boys. 

Although he did not or could not become an adept 
at radio and insisted that it was all Greek to him, 
yet he was a born inventor and a mechanical gen- 
ius. He had been diving since he was a mere boy, 
his father and grandfather had made deep-sea div- 
ing their profession, and he felt as much at home 

139 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

under water as on land. Hence, to him, there was 
nothing mysterious or baffling about the depths 
and he could see no valid reason why anything 
that could be accomplished on shore should not 
be accomplished equally well under water. He 
had distinguished himself by devising a submarine 
apparatus for taking motion pictures at the bottom 
of the sea and it was while engaged in making 
a sub-sea film that he had invented and perfected 
his remarkable self-contained diving suit. To 
him, with his experience, the shortcomings of the 
suit— the danger of the chemicals flaming up if 
they came in contact with water— were of no mo- 
ment, for, as he had explained to the boys, he auto- 
matically shut the valve if for any reason he re- 
moved his lips from the breathing tube, the action 
being as natural and unconscious as holding one's 
breath when swimming under water. 

But he at once realized that if the suits were to 
become a commercial or practical thing, or if the 
under-sea radio was to be used, it would be neces- 
sary to make the apparatus absolutely safe and fool 
proof. He therefore set to work at once to devise 
an entirely new system and absolutely refused to 

140 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

allow the boys to don suits and go down until he 
had thoroughly tested out and proved the new 
equipment. It was not an easy matter, but in the 
end he succeeded, and, risking his own life in the 
experiment, he gave the safety suit a most severe 
tryout. It fulfilled his greatest expectations and 
feeling sure that no matter how careless or inex- 
perienced the wearer might be there could be no 
accident, as far as the suit and oxygen generator 
were concerned, he was satisfied. 

He freely expressed his satisfaction and his in- 
debtedness to the boys, insisting that if it had not 
been for them and their radio he never would have 
improved the suit and made it practical for any one 
to use without danger. In addition, there were in- 
numerable other changes and alterations which had 
to be made to adapt the suits to radio work, and so, 
by the time the boys were ready to make their tests, 
they were using suits which bore but little resem- 
blance to those Rawlins had first shown them. 

Upon the helmets were the odd grids of wire at 
right angles like some great crown; the compressed 
air receptacles containing the sending sets were 

attached to the shoulders like old-fashioned knap- 

141 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

sacks, and the front of the helmet resembled some 
grotesque monster's head with the protuberance 
which contained the compact little receiving set 
like a huge goiter. Indeed, as Henry had re- 
marked when he first saw Rawlins appearing drip- 
ping from the river, they looked like weird and 
fearful sea monsters. So, if the reader imagines 
that the boys and Rawlins had had an easy time 
or that their success was of the phenomenal kind 
which occurs only in fiction, he is greatly mis- 
taken and the impression is due wholly to the fact 
that their failures and troubles have not been 
chronicled. 

And now, having explained this, let us return 
to the boys when, their sub-sea sending set complete, 
the test was about to take place. As Tom sank be- 
neath the water and slowly descended the ladder 
he was more excited and thrilled than ever before, 
for he was about to try an experiment which, if 
successful, would mark a new era in radio teleph- 
ony and he was keyed up to a high pitch when at 
last he dropped from the final rung of the ladder 
and settled, half-floating like some big, ungainly 
fish upon the river bottom. Through the half 

142 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

opaque green water he could see the irregular, 
grotesquely distorted and hazy form of Rawlins 
appearing gigantic and phantomlike. He might 
have been fifteen or fifty feet away, for despite the 
fact that Tom had been down several times he could 
never accustom himself to the deceptive effects of 
distance under water and when he stretched his 
hand towards the indistinct figure he gave an in- 
voluntary start when he found Rawlins within arm's 
length. As his hand touched the clammy rubber 
surface he uttered an exclamation of surprise and 
the next instant gave a joyful yell, for at his ejacula- 
tion he had heard Rawlins' voice in his ears ask- 
ing, "What's wrong?" 

"For heaven's sake, don't yell so!" came Raw- 
lins' words in response to Tom's, "Hurrah, it's 
working!" 

"I'll tell the world it's working!" continued the 
diver, "but don't shout. I'm talking in my lowest 
tones. Here, how do you like this?" 

Tom's ears were almost split as a thunderous 
bellow filled his helmet, and involuntarily he 
clapped his hands to the outside of his helmet 

over his ears. 

143 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"That's a lesson," he said in his lowest tones. 
"Sorry I didn't know, Mr. Rawlins. It won't hap- 
pen again. I guess these helmets act like sound- 
ing boards or something. Hello, there's Frank's 
voice." 

Clear and distinct they could hear Frank ask- 
ing if there was trouble and Tom barely checked 
another outburst as he realized that the boys on 
shore could talk with them and could hear what 
was going on under the water. 

"We can hear everything you say," went on 
Frank's voice. "Can you hear us and each 
other?" 

"Gee, you bet we can!" replied Tom. "Isn't 
this just great?" 

"Say, are you whispering?" inquired Frank. 
"I can hardly hear your voice." 

"No, but don't shout so," answered Tom. 
"Down here everything just roars. We have to 
talk low or we'll deafen each other. I'll bet we 
don't need head phones on our ears under water." 

"Henry's going to talk with you," Frank an- 
nounced, "he's just crazy to try." 

For the next half hour the boys talked back and 
144 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

forth between the workshop and the bottom of the 
river and then Rawlins and Tom ascended the 
ladder and removed their suits. 

For fully five minutes, the boys pranced, 
danced, hurrahed, yelled, laughed and made such 
a racket celebrating their success that it was a won- 
der the river police did not break in thinking a 
horde of Indians had taken possession of the dock. 
And if the truth must be told, Rawlins was just 
about as excited and acted as crazily as the young- 
sters. 

But at last they calmed down and Frank, mad to 
go down, donned Tom's suit. 

"Try it without the phones," Tom advised him. 
"Then you can talk loudly enough to be heard up 
here without deafening Mr. Rawlins." 

To Tom, listening at the set on the dock, it 
seemed little short of uncanny to hear Rawlins and 
Frank talking from under the water, and indeed, 
it impressed him as even more remarkable than 
hearing those on shore when he was below the 
surface. 

Both Rawlins and Frank assured him that the 
sets worked far better without the receivers on 

145 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

their heads, and even when Frank spoke in his 
loudest tones Rawlins replied that it did not deafen 
him as before. 

"Now let's try tuning, Frank," said Tom. "Fm 
going to vary my wave length and see if you can 
pick it up. Then change yours and I'll see if I 
can get you." 

As Tom spoke, he altered the sending waves 
slightly and breathlessly waited. Presently 
Frank's voice came in. 

"Got it!" he exclaimed. "Had a bit of trouble 
at first, but it's all right now. Now see if you can 
get this." 

As he spoke his words ended in a high, shrill 
squeal, but an instant later, as Tom turned the 
knob on his tuner, the words suddenly returned in 
a most startling way, the squeal seeming to change 
magically into words. 

"Hurrah, I got it!" cried Tom jubilantly. 
"Come on up, Frank, Henry wants a chance." 

"You've certainly struck a wonderful thing 
here," declared Rawlins, when he and Henry came 
up and had removed their suits. "How far do 
you suppose it will work?" 

146 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

"That's something we'll have to find out," re- 
plied Tom. "But the sounds come so loudly I'll 
bet it's good for a long distance. Somehow or 
other we get sound a lot louder inside a helmet 
than outside. I don't just get the reason, but I 
expect it's either because the whole air vibrates 
to the diaphragm of the receivers inside the helmet 
and no sound waves are lost or else because the 
helmet itself acts like a sounding board or maybe 
there are some sort of amplified waves set up." 

"I guess it's the air being inclosed," said Raw- 
lins. "When I used to wear a regular suit and 
used an ordinary phone under water it was the 
same way, but I never thought of it in connection 
with radio. The whole thing gets me, there's mil- 
lions in this if we can patent it. Let's go down 
once more and give her a real tryout. We'll take 
a hike down river a few hundred yards and see if 
the boys get us. If they don't we'll come back and 
keep trying and if they do we'll go on down as far 
as we can. Then, if we find it's 0. K. we'll try 
to get your folks to let you go down to Nassau and 
we'll show the world, I'll bet." 

"That's a good idea," agreed Tom. "You keep 
147 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

listening and now and then talking, Frank, and 
as soon as we lose your voice we'll send and then 
walk back until we get you again. That way we 
can find if we can hear farther than you can or 
whether it's the other way about." 

Donning their suits, Tom and Rawlins once 
more descended the ladder and half -floating, half- 
walking turned downstream. Rawlins had already 
cautioned Tom to keep close to his side and to hold 
to his hand, for, with the mud stirred up by their 
feet and carried by the current with them, it was 
impossible to see more than a few feet and Rawlins 
knew the danger that lay in becoming separated. 

Even with the radio connecting them with the 
boys on the surface Tom might easily get con- 
fused and hopelessly lost if he strayed or was car- 
ried from sight of Rawlins and while Tom knew 
that, by turning on more oxygen, he could bob to 
the surface, yet danger lurked in this as he might 
emerge in the path of some steamer or motor boat 
and be run down or torn to pieces with the pro- 
pellers. As long as they kept close to shore, fol- 
lowing the docks and piers, there was no danger, 
for the only vessels in the vicinity were canal 

148 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

boats and barges which were not in use, the piers 
for several hundred yards having been used merely 
for storage and as warehouses for some time. 
Moreover, by keeping under the docks they were 
perfectly safe and Rawlins had no intention of 
going out into the channel with its swift currents 
and constantly passing tugs, ferryboats and small 
craft. So, half feeling his way and moving by 
the diver's intuitive sixth sense of direction and 
holding to Tom's hand, Rawlins moved slowly 
down the river. 

Frank's words were constantly in their ears and 
now and then they replied, and somehow to Tom 
there was a most remarkable sensation of making 
no progress whatsoever. There was nothing visible 
by which to gauge their motion and, as the voice 
through the set continued to sound exactly the same 
and did not grow fainter with distance, he seemed 
to be standing still, although exerting himself and 
constantly stepping or rather pushing himself for- 
ward. He was so intent on this and so interested 
in the novel experience that he scarcely realized 
that Frank's voice had suddenly grown faint and 
was interrupted by an odd buzzing sound which in- 

149 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

stantly brought back the memory of the somids 
they had heard when listening to the mysterious 
speaker with their loop aerials. He was just about 
to speak and ask Frank if he could hear when he 
felt Rawlins jerk his arm. He floundered forward 
and the next instant was dragged between the spiles 
of a dock where the water was dark with shadows. 
"What, — what — " he began, but instantly 
checked his words as a low "Ssh!" from Rawlins 
reached his ears. Not knowing what had hap- 
pened or why Rawlins had suddenly acted in this 
strange manner, confused and bewildered, Tom 
peered about through the murky water. At first he 
saw nothing save the surrounding spiles, seeming to 
move and sway in dim, shadowy forms — the bot- 
tom of a canal boat with yard-long streamers of 
sea weeds waving from its barnacle-encrusted 
planks; a piece of trailing, rusty cable; a few rot- 
ting, water-soaked timbers protruding from the 
mud ; and a shapeless mass which might have been 
almost any piece of jetsam cast into the river. 
Then, like phantom shapes, so indistinct, hazy and 
formless that he was not sure they were not shad- 
ows in the water, he saw two figures — ^two moving 

150 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

things that, for a brief instant, he thought must be 
huge, dull-green fish nosing about the mud. And 
then, as he gazed fixedly at them from between the 
spiles, a strange unreasoning fear clutched at his 
heart and he felt an odd, prickly sensation on his 
scalp and at the back of his neck, for the moving, 
sinister, unnatural things were approaching, mov- 
ing noiselessly, slowly, but certainly towards him 
as though they had scented his presence and were 
bent on hunting him out. 

What were they? What strange, unknown, im- 
possible sea monsters were these? He was fright- 
ened, shaking, and in his terror had forgotten 
completely about the radio outfit. Glad, indeed, 
was Tom that Rawlins was beside him, that the 
diver was armed — for Rawlins, he knew, never 
went down without a hatchet in his belt ready for 
use in case of an emergency such as fouling a rope 
or timber. But why didn't Rawlins speak? Why 
had he ordered him to be silent? The sea mon- 
sters could not hear; what was the reason? 

And then, so suddenly that it came as a shock, he 
realized that the approaching forms, the grotesque 
shapes, were no sea creatures, no gigantic savage 

151 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

fish, but men! Men in diving suits much like 
their own. Men walking in the odd, half -sprawl- 
ing, half -floating, forward-leaning posture he knew 
so well. But great as was Tom's relief at this dis- 
covery his wonderment was doubly increased. 
Who were they and what were they doing here? 
Why had Kawlins drawn him into hiding? What 
did it all mean? Then, just as he was about to 
disregard Rawlin's whispered orders and ask, the 
two figures disappeared. Without reason, with- 
out warning, they vanished from sight as if by 
magic. 

So dumbfounded was Tom that involuntarily he 
uttered an ejaculation of surprise and fairly 
jumped when, faint but clear, he heard Frank 
ask, "What's that you said?" 

But before he could reply, Rawlins was speak- 
ing. "Come on!" he whispered, his voice being 
as low as if he feared the others might hear and, 
quite forgetting that he was under water, cut off 
from all conversation with other human beings 
save the boys. "Come on, I don't know who they 
are, but there's something funny. They've got 
suits like mine and the Lord knows who they are or 

152 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

how they got 'em. Fm going to jfind out where 
they went." 

Slipping between the spiles with their slimy, 
weed-grown surfaces, Rawlins, holding to Tom's 
hand, struggled forward into the lighter water. 
Beside them rose a dark wall of masonry and 
reaching this Rawlins proceeded to feel his way 
along it. Before they had traveled ten feet the 
diver uttered a sharp ejaculation. Beside them 
in the wall, loomed a huge, black hole, the mouth 
of a great sewer. 

"They went in here," whispered Rawlins. 
"Come on!" 

A moment later they were in utter blackness, 
feeling their way forward along the walls. 

And now, very thin and faint, Tom heard 
Frank's voice again. "What on earth's the mat- 
ter?" he asked. "I haven't heard a word from 
you two for five minutes. Can you hear me?" 

Tom was about to answer for they were evi- 
dently at nearly the limit of receiving range and 
his mouth opened, his lips formed the words of his 
reply, but no sound issued from them. Clear, 
loud and harsh, guttural words rang in Tom's ears. 

153 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

This was not Frank's voice nor Henry's ; the words 
were not even English. Amazed and uncompre- 
hending Tom was speechless and then, among the 
incomprehensible foreign syllables, came a word 
he recognized, the one word "Oleander!" 

Instantly he knew that by some strange freak, by 
some mystifying coincidence he was again hearing 
that unknown man to whom he had so often lis- 
tened. It seemed strange, weird, uncanny to have 
it coming to his ears here in the old disused sewer, 
but after all, he reJEected, why not? Rawlins had 
heard it once before, there was nothing remarkable 
about it and he was on the point of asking his com- 
panion if he had heard and of trying to tell Frank, 
when once more his words were stayed. Before 
him the stygian darkness suddenly grew light, a 
brilliant beam stabbed down from overhead and 
through the strangely illuminated water Tom saw 
the two men in diving suits standing beneath a 
square opeuing down which a ladder was being 
thrust. But why, he vaguely wondered, was the 
water so transparent? How was it that he could 
now see clearly for many yards? And then, with 
a start, it dawned upon him that he was not looking 

154 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

through water, that there was nothing between him 
and the trap save air. He was standing with head 
and shoulders out of water. 

And now the gruff, guttural words were once 
more beating in his ears and the next instant he 
saw the strange divers seize a dangling rope, tipped 
with a great iron hook, dip it under the water and 
then, as the hook again ascended, he saw a drip- 
ping, cigar-shaped object like a torpedo slowly 
rise from the water and disappear in the opening 
above. Close behind it the two divers followed 
up the ladder, the ladder was drawn up, the light 
snapped out and the next instant Tom and Rawlins 
were once more in absolute darkness. 

"What does it all mean?" exclaimed Tom, find- 
ing his voice at last. 

"What does what — " commenced Frank's voice, 
only to be overwhelmed and drowned out by Raw- 
lins' louder words. 

"Search me!" replied the latter. "Something 
rotten going on here. Don't know what, but I in- 
tend to find out. Did you hear them talking?" 

"Hear them?" replied Tom not understanding. 
"Of course not. But I heard that same chap you 

155 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

heard the other day — talking Dutch or something." 

"That was them!" announced Rawlins decidedly. 
"Tom, they've got under-sea radio, too. It's those 
chaps we've been hearing. I'm beginning to get 
it. That word Oleander. That's a password — 
a countersign. Just as soon as they spoke it the 
door opened. There's some deep mystery here. 
What the deuce that torpedolike affair was I 
don't know. Perhaps they're trying to blow up 
some building. This sewer is under a busy part 
of the city. Hear those trucks and surface cars 
overhead?" 

Absolutely dumbfounded, heedless of Frank's 
insistent but weak voice in his ears, striving to 
grasp all this astounding statement of Rawlins', 
Tom stood speechless for a moment. And then 
an idea flashed through his mind. 

"Gosh!" he exclaimed. "Say, Mr. Rawlins, 
they'll find us. If they've got radio they can hear 
us too! Say, perhaps they're listening to us now. 
Come on, let's get out of here." 

Rawlins' surprised whistle came shrilly to Tom's 
ears. 

"You're right!" replied the diver. "We're in 
156 



ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES 

a dangerous place. Come on. Let me go first." 
Crowding past Tom, Rawlins hurried as fast as 
the constantly deepening water and the darkness 
would permit and presently, though to Tom it 
seemed hours, a lighter space appeared ahead and 
a few moments later they once more were standing 
at the bottom of the river. 

They had turned to retrace their steps towards 
their own dock and were following along the old 
wall when once more they were halted in their 
tracks. Again to their ears, borne to them by 
the radio waves, came the harsh foreign words. 

So close did the words sound in their ears that 
instinctively, without stopping to think that the 
speakers might be hundreds of feet or even yards 
distant, the two crouched back in a recess of the 
masonry, flattening themselves against the slime- 
covered, weed-draped stones and gazing apprehen- 
sively towards the spot where the old sewer pierced 
the wall. 



CHAPTER IX 
THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

AS they crouched there, Frank's voice was 
taking on a frightened tone and Tom 
could now hear it much more plainly. 
But Tom's mind was filled with the danger of being 
discovered and he scarcely dared reply, for some- 
how, although there was no foundation for his 
fears, he was filled with a terrible dread of these 
under-sea workers, these unknown mysterious di- 
yers who had lifted the ominous-looking metal cyl- 
inder through the trapdoor in the disused sewer. 
That, even if they heard him and his friends, they 
could not trail them or locate them under water 
never occurred to him. In fact, he had quite for- 
gotten that he and Rawlins were under water or 
were as invisible to others a few yards away as 
other objects were to them. He felt as though he 
could be as easily seen as if on land, and that, if he 
spoke, his words would at once betray his where- 

158 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

abouts. But he also realized that Frank's voice 
could be heard by others as well as by himself and 
so, steeling himself to the effort, he called back, 

"It's all right. Don't worry. Stop talking and 
listen." 

Instantly, Frank's voice ceased and Tom drew 
a breath of relief and then he gulped and pressed 
close to Rawlins, for before him in the water, as 
if attracted by the sounds of his voice, the two dim 
forms of the strange divers once more appeared. 
For a space they remained motionless as though 
listening and perspiration broke out on Tom's fore- 
head and chills ran up and down his spine as he 
heard distinctly the sounds of low-toned words in 
the same guttural tongue, and he was certain, posi- 
tive, that his voice had been heard, that the others 
were striving to locate him, and that at any moment 
Frank or Henry might become curious or impatient 
and speak. In his terrified mind he could picture 
those big, sickly green, distorted beings creeping 
towards him, their wide-flung arms waving uncer- 
tainly like the tentacles of a huge octopus as they 
lurched forward; he could imagine the fixed, ex- 
pressionless stare of those great goggle-eyed glasses 

159 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

in the squat neckless helmets and, as the cur- 
rent caused light and shadow to waver and change, 
the figures seemed actually moving towards his 
hiding place. 

It was terrible; he no longer thought of them 
as fellow men, no longer looked upon them as 
human beings; his fears had transformed them 
to submarine monsters, weird, uncanny, intelligent 
but bloodthirsty creatures, and so great was the 
tension, so fearful the vision conjured up by his 
overwrought imagination that he would have 
screamed had his mouth not been parched and dry 
and incapable of uttering a sound. It was like a 
nightmare, a dream in which one is powerless to 
move or to cry out; where one cannot compel mus- 
cles or mind to function; where one feels that it 
cannot be real, cannot be possible and yet is filled 
with sweating, blood-curdling terror that it is. 
And then, after what seemed hours of torture, but 
was barely ten seconds from the time the men had 
emerged from the sewer, their voices ceased and 
to Tom's inexpressible relief they appeared to 
fade into the murky green water. They were mov- 
ing away, soundlessly, mysteriously, without visi- 

160 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

ble effort, and Tom noticed with his fright-filled 
eyes that above them was poised an indistinct, cigar- 
shaped object, the same torpedolike affair he had 
seen lifted from the sewer, and he realized that 
somehow, by some means, the men were dragging 
this along with them into the dim, green distance. 

He was aroused by Rawlins' whisper and a touch 
on his arm. 

"I'm going to follow," were the barely audible 
words. "No danger. Must see where they go. 
Come on." 

Recovering from his fright, now that the divers 
were retreating, and rather reassured by the sound 
of his companion's voice and words Tom moved 
forward from the wall but still grasping Raw- 
lins' hand. 

They could not see the figures before them, for 
the muck stirred up by the others' passage con- 
cealed them as effectually as a smoke screen, but 
it also served to betray their whereabouts and 
to conceal Tom and Rawlins as well. For some 
distance — several hundred yards Tom thought — 
they moved along, following close to the wall that 
bounded the shore and ever with the slowly drift- 

161 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

ing column of muddy water to guide them. 

Once or twice the murk seemed to drift away, 
and each time Rawlins instantly halted, waiting 
to see if those they were trailing had come to a 
stop, but each time the mud again rose before them 
and they resumed their way. 

Tom had no idea of the distance or direction 
they had traveled. The effort he made to walk 
was his only guide and he knew that the same 
eflfort, the same number of steps on land, would 
have carried him a long way, but he also knew that 
under water his progress was snail-like, that a step 
might carry one a few inches or several feet or not 
at all, depending upon the current, and he 
wondered vaguely if Rawlins knew his way, if he 
could find his way back, or if he intended to bob to 
the surface to get his bearings when he finally de- 
cided to return to the dock. And Tom smiled to 
himself as he pictured the looks of surprise, the 
screams of fright which would greet their unex- 
pected and sudden appearance if Rawlins did this 
and they should bob up beside some crowded recre- 
ation pier or ferry ship. But Rawlins had halted 

again. 

162 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

Before them now the mud was thinning out, the 
water was being swept clear of sih and Rawlins 
drew Tom beside him behind a huge block of stone 
which had been dumped at the base of the wall. 
Slowly and gradually the water cleared. It was 
evident that those they were following were no 
longer stirring up the mud and so must have come 
to a stop and, as the sediment drifted off and the 
dim green light filtered through the water, Tom 
peered into the vast illimitable void. It was like 
looking through thick green glass or like glass 
made half -opaque by one's breath upon it and for 
a time Tom could see nothing. Then, as the water 
became still clearer, he saw the faint outlines of 
timbers and spiles and a dark object looming 
ominously, like a cloud, which he recognized as 
the bottom of some vessel. Against the lighter 
water over his head, a shadow passed and the 
greenness quivered and wavered and he knew a 
small boat was being rowed above them; but no 
sign could he see of those they had been following. 

Then Tom noticed something else, something 
that rose above the dark bottom of the river as a 
darker mass, something that resembled a great 

163 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

bank of mud or a reef of rock. Irregular in out- 
line, dark green as seen through the water, unlike 
anything he had ever seen, yet somehow it had a 
vaguely familiar look; it did not seem quite like 
mud or rock of any natural formation, but rather 
like some sort of boat. Yes, that was it — like 
the hull of a boat — it reminded him of a picture 
of a sunken wreck. Perhaps it was. Yes, now 
that the thought had entered his head, he could see 
that it was a wreck; he could make out the stump 
of a mast, the remains of deck houses, something 
like portions of rails. But what was it doing 
here? Why should a sunken hulk be lying in 
the East River? Of course it was out of the 
channel, it was lying partly beneath a dock or 
pier and Tom noticed that the spiles of the pier 
sagged and that several were broken off under 
water. Evidently the pier was an old one, per- 
haps disused, and maybe the old hulk had been 
sunk during some fire which had destroyed the 
pier at the same time. 

All these thoughts flashed through Tom's mind 
as he peered into the dim greenness and then all 
were wiped from his brain as he caught a glimpse 

164 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

of the two divers moving from among the spiles. 
Tom was as much at sea as ever as to the distances 
under water. He could not tell whether the wreck 
was fifty or five hundred feet away. He was not 
at all sure that, if he reached out, he could not 
touch the old hulk or even the moving forms. The 
next moment the two had reached the side of the 
wreck and then, to Tom's amazement, they seemed 
to disappear within it, to step through the sides as 
though it were only a shadow in the water. 

"Gosh," he ejaculated unconsciously, "they 
went into that wreck!" 

"Wreck!" came Rawlins' whispered words. 
"Wreck! That's no wreck. That's a submarine. 
That's their hangout!" 

So absolutely thunderstruck was Tom at Raw- 
lins' words that he could not even reply. But 
now he saw that what he had mistaken for a water- 
logged sunken hulk was indeed an under-sea boat, 
a submarine and a big one. He had never seen a 
submarine except from above water before. He 
had no idea how such a craft would appear under 
water. He did not realize that the narrow deck 
.dmost awash, the tiny superstructure and conning 

165 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

tower which are all the landsman sees are but a 
very small portion of a submarine's whole; that 
out of sight, and never exposed above the surface 
of the sea, is a big boat-shaped hull with rud- 
ders and propellers; that the cigar-shaped Jules 
Verne type of submersible so familiar in fiction 
is not a thing of fact; and that the modern submar- 
ine if seen under water might easily be mistaken 
for an ordinary vessel's hull. 

It was not at all surprising therefore that Tom 
had mistaken the submerged craft for the hulk of 
a steamer or ship, for submarines were the last 
thing in his mind and no one would have dreamed 
of seeing one here beneath the surface of the East 
River. 

Now, however, Tom could see that what he had 
mistaken for the stump of a mast was the conning 
tower; what he had thought were shattered deck 
houses and rails were the superstructure; and he 
could now even make out the lateral horizontal rud- 
ders and the vertical rudder and screws. 

But this made the mystery still greater. It 
was even more wonderful to find a submarine 
here than a sunken vessel. Of course, Tom knew 

166 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

there were plenty of the navy's submarines for- 
ever knocking about, and for an instant it occurred 
to him that it was one of these engaged in making 
some test and that the divers whom they had seen 
were members of the boat's crew. 

Then instantly he remembered the men had 
spoken in a foreign tongue, that they had carried a 
mysterious object to the trapdoor in the sewer, and 
that they had taken the same or a duplicate ob- 
ject from the sewer. 

It was all inexplicable, puzzling, unfathomable. 

Rawlins' voice recalled him to the present. 

"They've gone," said the diver. "I want to 
find out who and what she is. You stay here. 
I'll be away only a moment." 

As he spoke, he released Tom's hand and with 
a final caution for the boy not to follow or move 
away, Rawlins floundered towards the submarine. 

Interestedly Tom watched him. He noticed that 
Rawlins did not stir up the mud and then, for the 
first time, he discovered that the bottom was hard 
and sandy. Somehow all sense of fear and danger 
had left him. How foolish he had been, to be 
sure! No doubt, he thought to himself, it was 

167 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

the unexpected appearance of the men and their 
grotesque forms which had aroused his imagina- 
tion. There was Rawlins, still moving away and 
looking as terrible and awesome as had the others 
— even more so, if anything, with his proboscislike 
helmet topped by its grid and the container on his 
shoulders giving him the appearance of being 
humpbacked. 

He wondered how far the submarine was from 
where he stood. Rawlins now seemed close to it 
and yet he could not possibly tell whether his 
friend was really near to the craft or not. It was 
all most interesting, most baffling and most unreal 
and dreamlike. He wondered what Frank and 
Henry would think of his long silence, He won- 
dered if they could hear him or he could hear them. 
Surely there would be no danger in speaking now. 
Even if those in the submarine heard him they 
could not tell whether it was some one under or 
above the water who was speaking. Why hadn't 
he thought of that before? There never had been 
any danger. Of course, if these men had under- 
sea radio they must hear messages from those on 
land as well as the boys. 

168 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

In that case they would never have had sus- 
picions if they had overheard the boys' conversa- 
tion. They would never dream that others pos- 
sessed the apparatus and would have assumed that 
the speakers were on shore. There was no danger; 
he was sure of it, and he was about to call to Frank 
when his attention was arrested by Rawlins' actions. 

Tom had been idly watching him and had seen 
him reach the submarine. He had seen Rawlins 
moving around the craft, evidently examining it, 
and he had lost sight of him as Rawlins had slipped 
around the blunt bow. But now Rawlins suddenly 
appeared, backing into view, waving his arms to 
maintain his balance and floundering. And he 
held something in one nand, something that he 
waved menacingly above his head, some object that 
glittered even in the dull, subdued, green light. 

For the space of a second, Tom was puzzled and 
then he knew. It was Rawlins' hatchet! Some- 
thing or some one was attacking him and scarcely 
had this knowledge flashed through Tom's mind 
when, from behind the submarine, the two figures 
appeared, clutching arms pawing at the water as if 
swimming, bodies bent far forward, their every at- 

169 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

titude, every motion betokening speed, speaking of 
straining efforts to come within reach of Rawlins, 
despite his threatening, keen-edged hatchet. 

Wildly excited, filled with deadly fear, 
terrorized at Rawlins' plight as was Tom, yet 
through his mind ran the thought, the subconscious 
feeling, that it was all unreal — a dream or a de- 
lusion. It was unspeakably and inexpressibly un- 
canny to see the three men evidently exerting every 
effort and yet moving so silently and slowly, seem- 
ing to float like weightless bodies in some semi- 
transparent, green medium. It reminded Tom of 
a slow motion picture — one of the films where a 
man or a horse, leaping a hurdle, appears to float 
lightly as a bit of thistledown through the air — and 
watching, the boy was fascinated. But only for 
the briefest moment. 

Scarcely had the three come within Tom's view 
when Rawlins stumbled over an upjutting stub 
of spiling, th© hatchet flew from his hand and 
before he could half rise the others were upon 
him. 

At this, the spell was broken. Tom screamed 

aloud and the next instant, like a voice 

170 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

from another sphere, he heard Frank speaking* 

"What 15 the matter, Tom? What's wrong?" 
came in troubled, worried tones. "Why did you 
yell?" 

Here then was help. They were still within 
reach of those ashore and in terse, excited, fear- 
wrung tones Tom answered. 

"Help! Send for help!" he yelled, entirely 
forgetting that no one knew where he was or where 
to send help even if help could have reached them 
there under the river. 

"It's awful!" he continued. "Two men — divers 
— from a submarine — fighting with Mr. Rawlins! 
They're attacking him — struggling with him! 
Get Dad, get the police!" 

Then, faint and as from a vast distance, he heard 
Frank's voice calling excitedly for Mr. Pauling's 
telephone number. He knew his chum was sum- 
moning aid and he sat rigid, watching with star- 
ing eyes the struggle taking place beneath the river. 
Rawlins had arisen ; by a tremendous effort he had 
flung aside one man, but the other was grappling 
with him, fighting desperately, and as Tom saw 
something flash in the water above the struggling 

171 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

men's heads he realized that the stranger held a 
knife. 

Now they had drawn closer, they were some dis- 
tance from the submarine and the very instant 
Tom noticed this a wild cry of alarm rang in his 
ears. 

At the sound, Tom saw one man start to plunge 
towards the under-sea boat, and to the boy's 
astonishment he saw that the craft was moving 
and was slipping rapidly from its resting 
place. Although the man struggled desperately to 
reach it he might as well have stood still, for 
scarcely did Tom realize that the submarine was 
tmder way ere it was a mere shadow and a second 
later had faded into the murky green. 

And now Tom saw that Rawlins was the ag- 
gressor, the man who had been chasing the sub- 
marine was swaying drunkenly, whirling in a hali- 
circle, his arms waving helplessly, while his com- 
panion had broken away from Rawlins and was 
standing, with hands upraised, and backing slowly 
away from the latter who leaned towards him with 
the other's knife in his hand. 

"Kamarad!" Tom heard in thick tones. "Kam- 
172 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

arad!" and the boy's heart jumped as he heard the 
words of surrender, the words which had become so 
familiar to thousands of men in the trenches, and 
Tom, with a shock of surprise, realized that the 
divers were Germans. 

Now he could hear Rawlins' words, spoken as if 
to himself or as if he thought the others could hear. 

"Yes, you dirty skunk!" Tom caught. "I'll 
tell the world you'll surrender. All right, right 
about face and forward march and no nonsense or 
I'll puncture that suit and your hide under it." 

And then Tom's brain had another sudden jolt. 
Of course the German could hear. Of course 
Rawlins had heard his cry of surrender. What 
a dolt he had been! They had radio sets, they 
could hear everything that was said as readily as 
he could. That was why they had given up the 
fight, yes that was it, that was why the submarine 
had cleared out. They had heard his cry for help, 
had heard him tell Frank to summon police. How 
could they know that their whereabouts was not 
known, that it was mere chance that he and Raw- 
lins had stumbled upon them? No doubt they ima- 
gined they had been watched, trailed and sur- 

173 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

rounded and the submarine, rather than run the risk 
of being captured, had deserted the two men at 
the first sound of alarm being given. It was all 
clear to Tom now. The battle was over. Rawlins 
was victorious, the men were his prisoners. 
Now Rawlins was speaking again and Tom saw 
that the second man was being half -dragged along 
by his fellow. But Rawlins' words aroused Tom 
to instant activity. 

"Are you all right, Tom?" asked Rawlins. 
"Come over here. We need a hand. This chap's 
hurt somehow. Can't get an answer out of him. 
Short circuited or something. We've got to get 
him out somehow." 

Lunging forward, Tom bumped into Rawlins 
before he had taken six steps and gave a startled 
exclamation. Was it possible the fight had taken 
place so close? But he had no time to think on 
this matter. The second man was helpless, dead, 
as far as appearances went, and Rawlins, stooping 
quickly, cut the lead-soled boots from his feet. 

Thus relieved of the weights, the body partly 
floated and with Tom holding to one arm and the 
captured man grasping the other, while Rawlins 

174 



THE BATTLE BENEATH THE RIVER 

kept a hand on Tom and directed the way, the 
strange under-sea procession floundered through the 
water, along the wall, past the black sewer mouth 
and towards Rawlins' dock. 

And now Tom again heard Frank's voice. 

"Where are you?" it asked. "Your father's 
coming. How can they find you? Are you all 
right?" 

"Everything's all right," answered Tom. 
"We're coming back. Be there soon!" 

Hardly a minute later, Tom saw the familiar 
piers near their own dock. He had thought they 
had wandered far, but they had not been two hun- 
dred yards distant at any time. A moment later, 
they reached the foot of the ladder. 

Telling Tom to go up, Rawlins half lifted the un- 
conscious man and with a gruff warning to his fel- 
low started to mount the rungs. Evidently the 
words were heard by the anxious, waiting boys 
above, for Tom heard Frank's shout of joy and 
he called back as he drew himself towards the open 
trap. 

But before his head emerged from the water, 
a crash like thunder sounded in his ears, there was 

175 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

a sound of tramping, hurrying footsteps, shouts 
and cries and Tom's brain reeled. What was hap- 
pening? Had the men's confederates learned of 
their capture? Were their fellows breaking into 
the laboratory to rescue them? Were the ruf- 
fians wreaking vengeance on Frank and Henry? 



CHAPTER X 
RADIO WINS 

AS the confused sounds, the crash, the tramp 
of rushing feet, the excited men's voices 
and Frank's high-pitched tones came 
dimly to Tom's ears, a deadly sickening fear 
swept over him. Had they escaped the men from 
the submarine only to fall into the clutches of 
their confederates? 

He had been under a tremendous strain, he had 
been terribly frightened, his heart had been almost 
bursting with excitement and he had been under 
water for much longer than ever before. The com- 
bination was too much for him. His head swam, 
he reeled, swayed; fiery sparks and flashes seemed 
to dance before his eyes; he felt a numbness steal- 
ing over him. Wildly he clutched at the ladder 
in a last despairing effort and seemed sinking, 
slowly, softly into a vast billowy void. 

He opened his eyes and uttered a surprised cry, 
177 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

He was lying on the floor of the laboratory and his 
father, anxious-eyed, was bending over him while 
close at hand were Frank, Henry and Rawlins. 
Beyond and as a confused mass Tom's eyes saw 
blue-clad figures and with a start he rose to a sit- 
ting posture. 

"Gosh!" he exclaimed, staring about and for the 
moment not comprehending. "What's the matter. 
Dad? What's happened?" 

"Are you all right, Tom?" asked Mr. Pauling. 
"We got you just in time. You fainted just as you 
reached the ladder top. Don't you remember?" 

Tom's senses had now fully returned. 

'Tes, Dad," he replied. "I do now. Did Mr. 
Rawlins tell you about it? Gee! We did have a 
time! Are those men here?" 

"Safe and sound, Tom!" Mr. Henderson's voice 
assured him. "That is, one of 'em is. The other's 
in bad shape." 

"Yes, Rawlins told us something of what hap- 
pened," put in his father as Tom rose unsteadily 
to his feet. "Look out. Son! You're weak yet. 
Sit down or you'll go off again." 

Leaning on his father's arm, Tom staggered to 
178 



RADIO WINS 

the proffered chair and dropped weakly into it. 
Then he gazed about the room and at the crowd 
of men within it. 

His father and Mr. Henderson, Rawlins, Frank 
and Henry were there. Near-by, was a strange, 
heavy-jawed man and beyond, near the door, were 
half a dozen policemen. But where were the two 
divers they had captured under the river? Then 
Tom saw that a heavily built, tow-headed man stood 
between two of the blue coats, his hands manacled 
and a sullen glare in his piglike eyes while, half 
hidden beyond two stooping men, was a form 
stretched upon the floor. But before he could form 
a question his father was giving quick sharp or- 
ders to the men. 

"Get the Navy Yard!" he commanded, and as 
the heavy-jawed man jumped to the telephone, he 
snapped out: "Tell the commandant that Paul- 
ing's speaking." Then, before the operator had 
even asked the number, Mr. Pauling was uttering 
commands to the police. "Leave a couple of men 
here to guard the prisoners and get over to that 
block quick as you can. Get all available men you 
can pick up. Draw a cordon around it and don't 

179 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

let any one in or out. Take my car! It's up to 
you fellows to nab this bunch — if they haven't got 
wise. On the jump now, Reilly! Take every one 
and everything that seems suspicious! Get me?" 

Even before his last word rang out the policemen 
were hurrying towards the street, and an instant 
later, Tom heard the roar of their motor and the 
clang of their bell as the patrol dashed off. 

"Navy Yard on the wire!" announced the man at 
the phone and Mr. Pauling grabbed the receiver. 

"This is Pauling!" he announced shortly. 
"That you, Admiral? All right! Got important 
matter." 

Then, to Tom's amazement, his father broke into 
the most utter gibberish, calling out a confused 
but rapid list of figures and words. 

"That's done!" he exclaimed, as he slammed 
back the receiver and turned towards Tom. 
"There'll be a dozen destroyers and chasers comb- 
ing the sea for that sub within fifteen minutes." 
Then, with a different note in his voice, he asked, 
"Do you feel all right. Son?" 

As Tom answered, his father turned towards the 
men bending above the figure on the floor. "Come 

180 



RADIO WINS 

here when you have a chance, Doctor," he called. 
"Want you to have a look at my boy." 

At his words, one of the men rose and hurried to 
Tom's side. 

"Had a close call, my boy!" he exclaimed, as he 
took Tom's wrist and drew out his watch. "Good 
thing Rawlins fixed up these suits so you couldn't 
inhale flames. Different case with that chap 
yonder. He's in bad shape. Trying to fix him 
up to get him to hospital. Afraid there's no hope 
for him though! Oh, you're 0. K. Fit as a 
fiddle! Pulse fine! Nothing wrong with him, 
Pauling. Just a bit of nerves, I expect, and strain 
of being down too long." 

Hurrying from Tom's side he again devoted 
himself to the injured man. 

Things were moving so rapidly that Tom was 
dazed and was striving his best to gather his wits 
together and to understand all that was tak- 
ing place. Mr. Henderson and Rawlins were talk- 
ing earnestly in low tones, but Tom could not 
hear a word they said and was busy replying to 
his father's, Henry's and Frank's questions and 
plying them with queries in turn. 

181 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Presently Rawlins and Mr. Henderson rose and 
as the former came to Tom's side the other strode 
across the room and, facing the prisoner, stared 
fixedly into his face. 

"I guess you're all right, Tom," said Rawlins, 
the tone of his voice betraying far more solicitude 
than was conveyed by his words. "You're some 
kid, I'll tell the world! You'll be famous if you 
don't watch out. Say, old man, I'm mighty sorry 
I kept you down so long. Never thought about 
you not being accustomed to it. I was so darned 
interested in that sub and those men I forgot about 
the danger to you, Tom. And say, Mr. Henderson 
thinks we've made some haul! I've been telling 
him the whole yarn — the Dutch talk and all the 
rest. Henderson thinks he recognizes that Hun 
we brought up and sees a big plot behind all 
this. Too bad the other fellow got flames and 
can't talk. YoUor radio's all to the mustard, I'll 
say!" 

At this moment Mr. Henderson's voice inter- 
rupted them. As he had stared searchingly but 
silently at the prisoner the latter's shifty eyes 
had fallen and he shuffled his feet uneasily. Then, 

182 



RADIO WINS 

without warning and so suddenly that Tom and the 
others jumped, Henderson snapped out: 

"Open your mouth!" 

So unexpected was the command that the 
prisoner, long trained to instant and implicit 
obedience to orders, involuntarily threw back his 
head and opened his enormous mouth. 

"Thought so!" ejaculated Mr. Henderson and 
then, even before the surprised man's jaws closed, 
he yanked aside the fellow's denim shirt exposing 
the hairy freckled chest with a livid white scar di- 
agonally across it. 

"That's enough!" snapped out Mr. Henderson. 
Then, addressing Tom's father he remarked, "It's 
he, Pauling. No question of it. Good day's work 
this — thanks to Rawlins' suits and Tom's under-sea 
radio." 

"Wha-what's it all about?" demanded Tom, ab- 
solutely at a loss to grasp the meaning of all the 
orders, the strange telephone message and Mr. 
Henderson's statements. "Who are the men and 
what were they doing?" 

"Never mind now," replied his father. "We'll 
get home first. Feel ready to go?" 

183 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Oh, I'm all right now," declared Tom. "Only 
a bit tired out." 

"Call for a couple of plain-clothes men to stay 
here," Mr. Pauling ordered, turning towards the 
heavy-jawed man. "Don't want any one meddling 
with the instruments. Keep that trap shut and 
bolted and don't sleep on the job." 

Then, to the surgeons, "Soon as he comes to 
and can talk, call me up. If he says anything, 
write it down. Don't let any one — any one, mind 
you — speak with him." 

The surgeon nodded in assent and as the other 
man again went to the telephone Mr. Pauling and 
Rawlins half lifted Tom, and, accompanied by 
Frank, Henry and Mr. Henderson, the party left 
the workshop. Already the two policemen had left 
with their prisoner and were pressing through a 
curious crowd which had gathered outside and 
which was held in check by more stalwart, blue- 
coated men. 

"Gosh! you've got the whole of the New York 
police here!" exclaimed Tom. 

"Not quite that," laughed his father, "but Hen- 
derson surely did call enough of them. Guess 

184 



RADIO WINS 

they thought we were going to raid a liner." 

"Well, you didn't name any limit," replied Mr. 
Henderson chuckling. "You said 'call the police' 
and I called 'em. Might as well be on the safe 
side, you know." 

As Mr. Pauling helped Tom into Mr. Hender- 
son's car he saw the man whom Rawlins had cap- 
tured in his spectacular battle under the river be- 
ing shoved into a patrol wagon. 

"Do tell me who he is," begged Tom. "Is he a 
German spy?" 

His father laughed. "You've forgotten the 
war's over and done with and there are no spies," 
he replied. "No, my boy, he's not even a German. 
But you'll have to wait a bit before I can tell you 
anything more." 

"Well, where did you send those policemen, 
then?" asked Tom. "You can tell me that." 

Mr. Pauling's eyes twinkled. "They've gone to 
get your phantom radio man," he replied. "Hen- 
derson's men couldn't find him before, but I'll 
wager we located him this time. You see, Reilly 
happened to know about that old sewer and he 
says it runs under the block where you located the 

185 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

sender of those odd messages. Henderson thinks 
if he finds one he'll find the other. We'll run 
around past there and see if anything is happen- 
ing. ' 

As Frank and Henry crowded into the little car, 
the boys saw a stretcher bearing a shrouded form 
being carried from their workshop to an ambu- 
lance, and the next moment they were moving 
slowly through the crowd which reluctantly made 
way before the insistent screams of the horn. 

Close behind them came another car with Mr. 
Henderson and Rawlins and a moment later they 
were through the crowd and speeding towards the 
block to which Mr. Pauling had dispatched the 
police. 

As they swung around a comer they saw a surg- 
ing, densely packed throng blocking the street, 
while from beyond came the sounds of shouts and 
cries. Above the heads of the people the boys 
could see the glaring brass and shining paint of 
two patrol cars and, moving here and there, rising 
and falling as if tossed about upon a troubled sea, 
the low-visored, flat-topped caps of policemen. 

"Can't get through there!" declared Mr. Paul- 
186 



RADIO WINS 

ing, as his horn screeched and fell on unheeding 
ears. "Looks like a riot!" 

Mr. Henderson had leaped from his car and 
was beside them. "Guess the men found some- 
thing," he remarked. "I'll push through and see 
what's up." 

With Rawlins by his side, he wedged his way 
into the crowd and the two were instantly swal- 
lowed up. But a moment later they reappeared, 
hats and collars awry, coats torn open, and pant- 
ing. 

"Whew!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "Might 
as well try to get through a solid wall. Hello I 
There's another wagon!" 

As he spoke, a bell clanged harshly and above 
the heads of the mob a car crowded with police 
could be seen forcing its way towards the center 
of the disturbance which appeared to be a large 
garage. 

At this moment a huge, lumbering motor truck 
crept slowly from the garage door and an angry 
bellow rose from the crowd. But even an East 
Side mob must give way before a five-ton truck 
and the crowd, surging back to make way for the 

187 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

truck, swept around the boys and the two cars and 
engulfed them like a sea of rough clothes and 
angry, grimy faces. 

"How the dickens can we get clear now!" ex- 
claimed Mr. Henderson, as to save themselves from 
being knocked down and trampled underfoot he 
and Rawlins leaped upon the running boards and 
flattened themselves against the body of the 
car. 

"Expect we'll have to stick here until the crowd 
leaves," replied Mr. Pauling, and added, "Unless 
they pick us up car and all and carry us out." 

Now the crowd was surging still farther back 
as though pressed by an irresistible force and 
above the bellowing, moving, multicolored wave 
of human heads and shoulders appeared a half- 
dozen mounted police, their well-trained horses 
forcing back the human wall which, despite jeers, 
taunts, threats and imprecations, gave way steadily 
tefore them. 

As the police drew near and the crowd thinned 
out, one of the officers caught sight of the two cars 
and their occupants. 

"Here you!" he shouted, urging his horse to- 
188 



RADIO WINS 

wards the car. "Get them flivvers out o' here! 
Right about now and move lively!" 

Mr. Pauling chuckled and Mr. Henderson 
grinned. "Show us how!" cried back Mr. Paul- 
ing. 

"No sassing back there!" stormed the police- 
man now riding close. "Get a move on or I'll 
pinch the bunch of ye for interferin' with the 
police, resistin' an officer and blockadin' traffic. 
I'll get enough charges against ye to send youse to 
the island for a year." 

Mr. Henderson and Tom's father were shaking 
with laughter. "Don't be foolish, officer. Don't 
you see we can't move?" Mr. Henderson asked. 

The policeman's face grew purple with anger 
and he pushed his mount close beside the car, 
calling to a fellow officer to help him. 

Exasperated by the crowd, naturally quick-tem- 
pered and in a frenzy of rage at these "swells," 
as he mentally dubbed them, defying his or- 
ders, he drew his club and raised it threaten- 
ingly. 

Mr. Henderson leaped from the running board 
to the policeman's side and in tones which even 

189 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

the angry blue coat recognized as authoritative ex- 
claimed, 

"Here, that's enough from you! You'll find 
yourself broke if you don't look out. Your job's 
to protect citizens — not to abuse them!" 

A look of mingled amazement and anger swept 
over the officer's face. 

"An' who may youse be?" he began, hunching 
himself forward and shooting forth his pugnacious 
jaw. 

Mr. Henderson stepped a bit closer and turned 
back the lapel of his vest. 

The sudden change in the man's attitide and ex- 
pression caused the boys to burst out laughing. 
Surprise, incredulity, fear, and regret all spread 
over his big Hibernian features in turn. His half- 
raised arm dropped to his side, he seemed to 
shrivel and shrink in size, his pale blue eyes 
seemed about to pop from between his red-lashed 
lids. 

Then Irish humor came to his rescue. Draw- 
ing himself stiffly up he saluted and with a 
twinkle in his eyes blurted out, 

"B'gorra, Sir, 'tis sorry I am. But how was I 
190 



RADIO WINS 

to know, Sir? What with your kelly dinted in and 
your tie adrift and all. Sure I'll see ye through 
here in a jiffy." 

The crowd had now been driven far back, and, 
escorted by the mounted men, the two cars pro- 
ceeded slowly up the street until opposite the gar- 
age. A few idlers were still hovering about and 
were being chased away by blue coats, but inside 
the garage the boys could see a closely packed 
mass of men with policemen's caps much in evi- 
dence, while the broad doorway was blocked by 
oflScers with drawn clubs. 

As Mr. Pauling brought his car to a stop, a plain- 
clothes man pressed through the line of police 
and hurried to the car. 

"What's up?" demanded Mr. Pauling as the 
man came close. "Find anything?" 

"Find anything!" repeated the other, his gimlet 
eyes fairly glistening with satisfaction. "You bet 
your — beg your pardon — I'll say we did. Got 
the whole bunch — men, cars, booze an' all. Want 
the story now?" 

"No, don't stop now. Murphy," replied Mr. 
Pauling. "After everything's cleaned up come 

191 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

around to the house and we'll hear the whole yam, 
the boys are entitled to know it. I'm expecting a 
call to the hospital at any time and must be on 
hand. Glad you got them." 

"I guess I'll stay and see the fun," said Raw- 
lins, "that is, if I may." 

"Let Mr. Rawlins in. Murphy," commanded 
Mr. Pauling. "He's one of our crowd and all 
right. Wouldn't have got this job over without 
his help. See you later." 

As the car drove off, the boys saw Rawlins push- 
ing through the cordon of police by Murphy's side 
and all three breathed a sigh of regret that they, 
too, could not remain to see what exciting and in- 
teresting things were taking place within the gar- 
age. 

But they realized that it was no place for boys 
and, to tell the truth, all three were quite ready 
and willing to go home and have a chance to calm 
down and rest. Tom, of course, had been through 
a racking experience and was utterly exhausted 
nervously and physically, and Frank, who was 
younger and of a far more nervous temperament, 
had been so worried and frightened over Tom's 

192 



RADIO WINS 

plight and the uncertainty of what was occurring 
under the water that he had become almost hys- 
terical when it was all over. Even Henry had 
experienced enough excitement to last him for 
some time and boylike was crazy to rush home 
and tell his parents all about the remarkable ad- 
ventures of the afternoon. 

Leaving Henry at Gramercy Square, Mr. Paul- 
ing drove the car home while Mr. Henderson went 
to his office and Tom and Frank, who was 
staying at the Pauling home while his parents were 
in Europe, breathed a sigh of satisfaction when 
they found themselves once more in the cool, quiet 
interior of the house on Madison Avenue. 



CHAPTER XI 
HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

WHEN, after parting with Mr. Paul- 
ing and the boys, Mr. Henderson 
drove towards his office, he was in 
high good humor. The afternoon, thanks to the 
boys' radio and Rawlins' diving suits, had been a 
most eventful and highly satisfactory one. Not 
only had the discoveries resulted in the raid on 
the garage, the seizure of a vast amount of contra- 
band and probably the breaking op of the gang of 
rum-runners which for so long had baffled his men 
and himself, but it had brought in two prisoners, 
one of whom at least he had recognized and was 
mighty glad to see. 

But despite all this he was sorely puzzled and 
cudgeled his brain to find a reasonable ex- 
planation for many things which seemed inex- 
plicable. If, as it seemed, the garage had been a 
hiding place for smuggled liquor, what connection 

194 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

did it have with the submarine and the divers Raw- 
lins had captured? Had the contraband been 
brought there in the under-seas boat, and if so how? 
He knew, as Rawlins had already pointed out, that 
a submarine could not go in and out of any port — 
in the West Indies or elsewhere — without attracting 
immediate attention, for there were not many of 
the craft knocking about and even if the natives 
of the islands had kept the secret some of the 
government's agents who were scattered through 
the West Indies would either have seen or heard 
of the craft. Mr. Pauling, for example, had per- 
sonally been to Cuba and Nassau and while he 
had seen schooners leave with cargoes only to re- 
turn empty without being reported from any 
American port, still he had found or heard nothing 
which would indicate a submarine unless, yes, 
that might be possible — ^the schooners might have 
transferred their cargoes to the under-sea boat in 
mid-ocean or at some uninhabited island. 

But even in that case, the native sailors, the mu- 
lattoes and negroes, surely would have talked about 
it. To them, a submarine would have been far 
too remarkable and interesting a thing not to have 

195 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

told their wondering cronies and families about it. 
And where, assuming this was so, had the boot- 
leggers secured the vessel? 

Rawlins had assured him the submarine was a 
German U-boat of a recent type, such as had been 
ojff the United States coast during the latter days of 
the war, but she could not be one of these, for the 
Navy, he knew, had accounted for them all. 
Had the Germans taken to rum-running? Had 
they secretly retained one or more submarines, 
and, knowing the enormous profits to be made, put 
them to use carrying cargoes of liquor from the 
West Indies to the United States? Of course this 
was possible, but somehow Mr. Henderson, who 
was famed in the Service for his "hunches," which 
nine-tenths of the time proved right, had a feeling 
that there was something deeper, some mystery be- 
hind it, and he had high hopes of fathoming this or 
at least of throwing some light upon it by an inter- 
view with the unharmed prisoner. 

That he would obtain a confession or even much 
information from the fellow, he very much 
doubted, for he knew the man of old — knew him 
for a sullen, arrogant and thoroughly des- 

196 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

perate man and one who could and did keep 
his mouth shut under the most severe grilling. 
Mr. Henderson deeply regretted that the other 
prisoner had been injured by inhaling the flames 
in his helmet, for with two men, each thinking the 
other had betrayed him, there would be a good 
chance of getting at the bottom of things, but it 
was almost hopeless now. The surgeons had 
stated that the man was doomed, that he could not 
possibly survive his terrible burns and that it was 
doubtful if he ever regained consciousness. Mr. 
Pauling was to be summoned when the wounded 
man came to his senses, if he ever did, and in the 
meantime the other prisoner was to be brought be- 
fore Mr. Henderson by two of his own men whom he 
had despatched for the purpose, for, while he and 
Mr. Pauling cooperated with the police in many 
ways, they had no desire to let the police learn of 
many matters that were taking place or hear state- 
ments or confessions which they might repeat. 

As soon as Mr. Henderson reached his office, 
where the erstwhile janitor was on guard, he hur- 
ried the latter off and then, taking some documents 
from a safe and lighting his pipe, he proceeded 

197 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

to study the papers with minute attention. He 
was interrupted in this by the return of the mes- 
senger who was accompanied by a small, wiry, 
dark-haired man whom Mr. Henderson addressed 
as "Ivan" and who seated himself in a proffered 
chair and proceeded to make himself quite at home 
with an immense black cigar. 

"It's Smernoff !" announced Mr. Henderson pres- 
ently. "Got him to-day under very remarkable 
circumstances — no matter what. Recognized him 
at once although he's shaved oif his beard. Ex- 
amined his mouth and chest to make sure. I ex- 
pect him here in a few moments. Do you happen 
to know if he ever served in the German army?" 

"Sure, yes, I know," replied the Russian. "Not 
in the army, no, but the navy." 

"What was his job?" demanded Mr. Henderson. 

"That I do not know," replied the other with 
a shrug of his shoulders. 

"H-m-n?," muttered Mr. Henderson. "Well, I 
want you to be here to interpret. He doesn't 
speak much English or won't. I guess they're 
coming now." 

A moment later, there was a rap on the door and 
198 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

the janitor — orlce more in jumper and overalls — 
left by another entrance and armed with dustpan 
and broom proceeded to busy himself in the hall- 
way exactly as if he had not been interrupted 
several hours previously by Frank's excited sum- 
mons to Mr. Pauling. 

At Mr. Henderson's "Come in!" two heavily 
built men in civilian clothes entered, crowding 
closely one on either side of the sullen man who 
had been captured by Rawlins. 

Not until they had seated themselves at Mr. Hen- 
derson's orders would any one have suspected that 
the pig-eyed man was a prisoner or was hand- 
cuffed. For a space, Mr. Henderson gazed steadily 
and silently at the prisoner who returned his stare, 
hate and venom in his eyes, and then, turning to 
Ivan, Mr. Henderson ordered him to ask the fel- 
low certain questions. 

It is not necessary to repeat the conversation, or 
rather the queries and replies, and for some time 
no satisfactory information was brought out, the 
captive absolutely refusing to admit anything or 
to say a word which might incriminate himself 
or his fellows. But when, after a deal of ques- 

199 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

tioning, Mr. Henderson had Ivan hint that the men 
captured in the raid on the garage had betrayed 
the Russian and his fellow diver, the man's face 
took on a demoniacal expression, his eyes blazed 
and a torrent of curses and foul oaths burst from 
his lips. 

A moment later, he checked his furious outburst 
and replied quickly to many of the interrogations 
put to him through the interpreter. 

It was soon evident, however, that he was either 
extremely ignorant of many matters or else was 
an accomplished liar, and, while the information 
he gave cleared up many matters which had puz- 
zled Mr. Henderson previously, still the most im- 
portant and mysterious features of the whole case 
remained as much a mystery as ever. 

"I guess that's all we can find out, or all he'll 
tell," declared Mr. Henderson at last. "Take him 
away and be mighty careful to have him well 
guarded. He's a slippery rascal and we don't 
want him getting away this time." 

As the men with their prisoner left the room, Ivan 
rose as if to go. 

"Sit down!" Mr. Henderson ordered him. "I 
200 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

may need you again at any minute. We've got 
another man to question yet." 

Ivan's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he had 
long been employed as an interpreter in Mr. Paul- 
ing's service and had learned not to ask questions 
or make comments, no matter how amazing or 
perplexing a matter might appear. So, again 
seating himself comfortably, he lit another of his 
huge cigars and waited patiently and silently for 
further orders. 

Meanwhile Mr. Henderson was going over his 
hastily written statements of the prisoner and with 
his knowledge of the man's past and his "hunch" 
was striving to dovetail the information with sur- 
mises and records so as to form a complete whole. 

It was interesting and fascinating work — this 
building up a case from fragments and conjectures 
— a sort of jig-saw puzzle with many of the parts 
missing, and Mr. Henderson was an adept at it. 
Indeed, he often spent hours, when he had time 
to spare, playing the game with imaginary or 
hypothetical cases exactly as a person will play 
a game of solitaire. It was this ability to piece 
together stray bits of evidence, and his almost un- 

201 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

canny intuition, that had secured the high position 
he held and had won the envy and admiration of 
all in the Service who knew him, although his 
friends good-naturedly chaffed him about his "im- 
agination," as they called it. 

But on more than one occasion his imagina- 
tion, or intuition or sixth sense or whatever it 
might be, had brought most astonishing results; 
as, for example, the capture of a band of plotters; 
to which he had referred when discussing the 
flood of Bolshevist literature and the wave of crime 
with his coworkers. 

Now, as he studied his notes of Smernoff's state- 
ments and at times half closed his eyes as if con- 
centrating on some far-off matter, a smile spread 
across his features and from time to time he nod- 
ded approvingly. 

"I'd wager it is," he commented to himself. 
"Everything points that way. The submarine, 
Smernolf — a fanatical socialist — those remarkable 
deep-sea suits — the under-sea radio, the mystery 
about it all and yes — ^the time hitches perfectly. 
Bloody sort of brute he is — wish I could get him 
for that — sorry it's out of our hands. Jove! I 

202 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

hope that mate of his lives long enough to give us 
what we want. SmernofF admits he knows. By 
Jove, it would be a coup! Wonder if those boys 
even dream what their experimenting has led up 
to!" 

He was still deeply engrossed in his occupation 
when the phone bell rang and Mr. Pauling's voice 
came to him. "He's conscious," said the latter, 
"Come to the hospital as quickly as possible. 
Yes, I'm going this instant. Of course. Bring 
Ivan." 

"Come along, Ivan!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson, 
as he hung up the receiver, and grasping his hat 
he hurried from the room into which the janitor 
instantly popped like some sort of automaton. 

As soon as the ambulance bearing the injured 
prisoner had reached the hospital, the man had 
been taken to a private room and the doctors had 
devoted every attention, every latest appliance, 
every resource known to modern medicine and sur- 
gery to patching the horribly burned and disfig- 
ured fellow up in order to prolong his life until 
he could regain consciousness. In the hospital a 
more thorough examination had revealed the fact 

203 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

that the interior of his mouth was not so seriously 
burned as had been thought when first aid was 
being administered at the dock. Evidently he had 
had presence of mind enough to snap off the valve 
and to shut his lips at the first burst of flames from 
the chemicals when, startled by the submarine de- 
serting them, he had instinctively cried out a warn- 
ing to his mate and had allowed water to enter the 
tube. 

"There's about one chance in ten thousand that 
he may live," announced the gray-haired surgeon 
to his assistant. "He has not inhaled flames and 
it all depends upon his constitution. The shock 
was enough to kill an ordinary man outright, but 
it will be no kindness to have him survive. If it 
were not for Mr. Pauling's orders I'd take the re- 
sponsibility of letting him go, I believe. Gad! 
Can you imagine any one living with a face like 
that or caring enough to live to undergo the agony 
that he'll suff'er if he becomes conscious?" 

"Not me!" replied the younger man. "I'd 
think it a Christian act to let cases of this sort find 
relief in death, but I suppose every man has a 
right to his life if he wants it. Have any idea 

204 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

why Mr. Pauling's so keen on having him come to 
and talk?" 

The elder man gazed at his assistant in a pe- 
culiar manner. 

"No!" he snapped out at last. "And I'm not 
fool enough to ask or wonder. It's none of our 
business and I intend to follow orders to the letter. 
But you can bet it's something important. Just 
peep outside the door." 

With a puzzled expression, the young doctor 
opened the door cautiously and looked to left and 
right. On either hand, standing silently, but with 
watchful eyes, were two heavily built men, dressed 
in civilian clothes, with soft, dark felt hats on 
their heads and, even to the interne's unpracticed 
eyes, detectives. 

"Guess there is something doing," he remarked 
as he closed the door, "couple of Bulls out there. 
What do they think — that he's going to jump up 
and run with that face and with both eyes burned 
out?" 

The other glanced up from where he was bend- 
ing close above the cot and raised a finger for 
silence. Then, an instant later, he straightened up. 

205 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Get Mr. Pauling at once!" he commanded. 
"Tell him the man is liable to become conscious at 
any instant — that he may live, but if he wants to be 
sure he had better come immediately." 

In the mean time, at the Pauling home, Tom had 
been relating his story of the strange and exciting 
events which had taken place under the river. 

"Now, Son," said Mr. Pauling, as Tom had 
thrown himself upon the lounge in the library 
while his mother hovered anxiously over him, "if 
you feel able, tell us all about it. Rawlins told 
us the main facts while you were getting over your 
fainting spell, but, as many important matters and 
far-reaching consequences may result from your 
discoveries and captures, I would like to know all 
the details. Just as soon as you feel tired, stop. 
Your health and welfare are the most important 
things — everything else can wait if necessary. I 
would not ask you now, only I know your mother 
is anxious to hear the story and, moreover, if I 
am called to the hospital, I would like to have as 
much information as possible. A lot may hinge 
on that." 

"Oh, I'm quite all right. Dad," Tom assured his 
206 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

father. "Of course I'm tired, but I don't mind 
talking. In fact I'd like to." 

So, for some time, Tom narrated his adventures, 
beginning with the descent to test the set at a dis- 
tance and ending with the crash that sounded in his 
ears as he was about to emerge from the water 
and leaving out no detail of his sensations, 
thoughts or fears. 

"I think it's all quite clear," declared Mr. Paul- 
ing when he had finished. "I'm sorry I cannot 
divulge everything to you now or explain all the 
mysteries which surround the astounding discov- 
ery that you boys and Mr. Rawlins have made. 
But later I can and will, as I know you must be 
dying of curiosity. And I can assure you of one 
thing: Uncle Sam will be imder a great obligation 
to you and your radio." 

"But you said you'd tell us who the man was 
whom we captured and what they were doing in the 
garage," Tom reminded him. 

"Yes, I can do that," replied his father, "but 
you two boys must learn to keep secrets and not 
repeat anything I tell you. The man you and 
Rawlins brought in — the one who was not hurt I 

207 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

mean— is a Russian, a rabid 'red,' and Henderson 
recognized him and later identified him beyond 
question by a peculiar tooth and the scar on his 
chest. At one time he was convicted of a serious 
crime against our government, but escaped mys- 
teriously from prison. I doubt very much if we 
get much information from him, as he knows he 
must serve out his term — with a bit added to it — 
and he is a close-mouthed rascal. We hope more 
from his companion, if he recovers consciousness 
and can talk. If he knows he is dying he may 
confess at the last minute. As far as the garage 
is concerned, as you know, we put two and two 
together and decided the blind sewer had some 
secret opening in the block where you boys located 
the mysterious sending set. The fact that both 
those messages and the conversations you heard 
under water included the names of flowers con- 
vinced us that they emanated from the same source 
and as Rawlins assured us the conversation in what 
he called Dutch, but which was probably Russian, 
came from the men under water, it confirmed 
our suspicions that the man you boys located was 
talking to men under water or on the submarine 

208 



HENDERSON HAS AN INTERVIEW 

and that somewhere in the block we would find 
the key to the mystery and more. From what 
Murphy says, and the appearance of things, we 
succeeded beyond our expectations. I was afraid 
that the rascals might have overheard you and 
Rawlins or that the submarine, which evidently 
knew that they were discovered, might have warned 
them. If so, we moved too quickly for them." 

"But are they bootleggers?" asked Frank. 

"No doubt," replied Mr. Pauling, "and many 
other worse things. When Murphy and Rawlins 
arrive we'll probably know more and if the 
wounded man confesses we'll solve many mys- 
teries which remain to be unraveled." 

"Well, I'm mighty glad the old under-sea radio 
worked," declared Tom, "but I wouldn't go 
through that experience again, not for — no, not 
for Uncle Sam himself." 

At this moment the doorbell rang and a mo- 
ment* later Rawlins dashed into the room, his eyes 
bright and a happy grin on his boyish face. 

"I'll tell the world it's great!" he exclaimed. 
"They got pretty near everything — booze, trucks, 
men, and that mysterious radio. And a truck- 

209 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

load of books and papers — cleaned out a regular 
nest. That man Murphy is a corker, Mr. Pauling. 
He said to tell you he'll be over in a little while. 
They were just cleaning up when I left." 

Tom jumped up. "Hurrah!" he cried. "Then 
we were right all along! We always said that fel- 
low was one of a bootlegger gang. Gee, Frank! 
They can't laugh at radio or radio detectives now. 
It wins!" 

"I'll say radio wins!" cried Rawlins. 



CHAPTER XII 
THE CONFESSION 

BEFORE the conversation could be con- 
tinued, the desk telephone rang and Mr, 
Pauling instantly answered. 

"Hello!" the boys heard him say. "Hello! 
Good! Right away. Call Henderson. Yes, have 
everything ready. He'U live perhaps? Yes, Hen- 
derson will bring Ivan. Keep a record of every- 
thing. Good-by!" 

As he ceased speaking, Mr. Pauling sprang up. 
"It's Doctor Hewlett," he announced as he started 
for the door. "The man's regaining conscious- 
ness. He may talk at any moment and I must 
rush there. If Murphy calls, send him over." 

An instant later, Mr. Pauling was hurrying to 
Bis car and the boys, Mrs. Pauling and Rawlins 
commenced discussing the events which had fol- 
lowed one another so rapidly during the past few 

hours. 

211 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Rawlins had to tell the story all over again to 
Tom's mother and Frank gave his version. Then 
all speculated on what the mystery surrounding 
the submarine and the raid on the garage might be. 

"It's rather too bad that Fred can't tell us any- 
thing yet," said Mrs. Pauling, "but I realize, in 
his position, secrecy must be maintained. How- 
ever, after it's all over I suppose we shall know — 
that is, if the newspapers don't tell us first. They 
usually manage to find out such secrets somehow." 

"Well, I admit I can't see head nor tail to it," 
declared Rawlins. "Of course, as long as Mr. 
Pauling says those chaps are Russians and were 
talking Bolshevik I suppose they are and were; 
but I know that sub was a Hun boat — not one of 
the big, latest U-boats, but the kind that was over 
on our coast here once or twice. I've done a lot 
of work studying submarines and they can't fool 
me. Now, of course there's no reason why a Rus- 
sian should not use a German sub if he could get 
hold of it, but what were they doing over here in 
the East River is what gets me. I don't believe 
they were just rum-runners, even if Murphy and 
his crowd did find a lot of booze over there, and 

212 



THE CONFESSION 

what was that cigar-shaped sub-sea gadget they 
were pulling along with 'em?" 

"Why, I think that's all simple," declared Tom. 
"They probably brought liquor in here with the 
submarine and carried it to the garage in that tor- 
pedolike thing." 

Rawlins shook his head. "No, old man," he 
replied. "A sub would never do for a rum-run- 
ner. Why, every port in the West Indies is 
watched and the whole world would hear if a sub 
poked her nose into a harbor and tied up to a 
dock to load rum. It's too bad we didn't tackle 
those chaps out there before they got to the sub. 
We might have brought in that torpedo arrange- 
ment, too." 

"Gee, I'd forgotten all about that!" exclaimed 
Tom. "What became of it?" 

"Why, didn't I tell you?" replied Rawlins. 
"They shoved it into the submarine. I was watch- 
ing 'em do that when they spotted me. If they'd 
had sense they'd have gone in after it and cleared 
out, but instead, they had to try rough-house stuff 
and got left. I expect they thought we'd seen too 
much and didn't know I was armed. Then, when 

213 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

their mates in the sub heard you yelling for help 
and heard Frank's replies, they thought the game 
was up and pulled stakes without stopping for the 
two chaps below." 

"I wonder if they'll get her — the destroyers, I 
mean," said Frank. 

"I doubt it," replied Rawlins. "The sea's a 
mighty big place and the Lord knows where she'll 
emerge. No knowing which way she headed 
either. For all any one knows she may have 
scooted over to some hangout on Long Island or 
swung around up the Hudson or slipped into the 
soimd or stood out to sea. But I doubt if she'll 
try getting out of the harbor submerged. Too 
risky. She might bump into a liner or a ship 
any minute and she'd have to go blind — ^no peri- 
scope out, you see, because she'll know we'd have 
ehasers, looking for her. No, I expect they'll sub- 
merge, rest on the bottom in shallow water some- 
where and wait until night. Then she could sneak 
out to sea with just her conning tower out. There's 
about one chance in a million of finding her and 
that's the only way we slipped up. Just as soon 
as I saw her I knew something crooked was going 

214 



THE CONFESSION 

on — knew it soon as ever I put eyes on those fel- 
lows in self-contained suits — infringing my pat- 
ents, darn 'em — and I planned to get back and 
notify the authorities. Then we could have nabbed 
her and her whole crew. Slipped up by letting 
those Bolshevik birds spot me. And Tom — did 
you notice those fellows didn't have those gadgets 
on their helmets? How do you suppose they 
worked their radio without 'em?" 

"Gosh!" exclaimed Tom. "I didn't think of it 
at the time, but it's so. Say, what became of their 
suits? We can examine their outfits and find out 
all about it." 

"Suits are safe enough down at the dock," Raw- 
lins assured him. "You'll have some fun examin- 
ing them, I'll say." 

"Why didn't you ask Mr. Murphy all about what 
it meant?" inquired Frank, who had been ponder- 
ing on the mystery. 

Rawlins gave a hearty laugh. "You don't know 
friend Murphy," he answered. "I'll say I asked 
him, but you might as well ask a lamp-post. I 
know why they call potatoes Murphys now — all 
eyes and no mouth. That's him, too. Nice and 

215 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

pleasant and everything, but not a mite of infor- 
mation. When I asked him first time he just 
looked me all over as if I was some kind of a 
rare specimen. 'Mr. Pauling says youse is on the 
level,' he said, 'and I'll take his word if he says 
the devil himself has turned saint. But my or- 
ders is to say nothing to nobody till I reports to 
Mr. Pauling and my orders stays orders till he 
gives me new ones. He's told me to let youse in 
here and to look after youse and that I'm doin', 
but never a word did he say about tellin' of youse 
anything, an' that I won't. What youse can see 
youse can see and welcome and what youse may 
overhear youse can hear, but I'd advise youse to 
not repeat it, and now draw your own conclu- 
sions.' " 

The boys laughed. "He looked like that," said 
Frank. "I can just imagine him saying it." 

"And what did you say?" inquired Mrs. Paul- 
ing. "I have met that man Murphy — he's one of 
Fred's right-hand men." 

"Oh, I knew he was right and just slapped him 
on the back and told him he was a good skate and 
I'd put in a good word for him at any time* Told 

216 



THE CONFESSION 

him I didn't want to butt in and wouldn't bother 
him with any more questions." 

"Didn't you see anything?" asked Tom. 

"About as much as you could see when we were 
in the crowd in the car," laughed Rawlins. "The 
garage wasn't packed full, but there were about 
a million plain-clothes men and police there and 
Lord knows how many trucks, and everything that 
was going on was in the center. But I did see 
them piling a lot of boxes and papers and a lot 
of radio stuff into a truck and I heard a police- 
man smack his lips and say : 'Glory be, but it's a 
burnin' shame to think of all the good booze that's 
goin' to waste nowadays. Sure it makes me throat 
feel dry as a load of hay to think of it.' " 

"Perhaps," suggested Mrs. Pauling. "These 
men you found have some connection with the Bol- 
shevist threats and crimes that the papers say are 
taking place. Fred never lets us know much of 
what is going on, as he thinks I'll worry. But 
whatever it is, I feel sure it has something to do 
with the troubles and worries Fred has had re- 
cently. Both he and Mr. Henderson have been 
working hard both day and night on something 

217 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

and Fred has looked as if he had some great prob- 
lem on his mind." 

"Well, I hope it's that," declared Tom. "Say, 
wouldn't it be great if we really ^a^ helped Dad 
and the government on something more important 
than smuggling liquor." 

"There's the bell again," exclaimed Frank. 
"Perhaps that's Mr. Murphy." 

Frank's surmise proved correct and Mrs. Paul- 
ing repeated her husband's orders to him. Scarce- 
ly waiting to hear, the detective turned and hurried 
off. 

"I suppose we might as well have dinner," said 
Mrs. Pauling, after Murphy had gone. "There's 
no use waiting for Fred, he may be away all night. 
You'll have dinner with us, won't you, Mr. Raw- 
lins?" 

Dinner over, the four returned to the library and 
hour after hour dragged on with no word from Mr. 
Pauling. 

Finally, Rawlins rose to go and was saying good 
night when the front door opened and Mr. Pauling, 
Mr. Henderson and the detective Murphy arrived. 

"Didn't wait dinner for me, did you?" cried 
218 



THE CONFESSION 

Tom's father, a note in his voice that his wife knew 
meant relief and elation. "Glad you didn't. 
Sorry we were so late, but couldn't get away a min- 
ute sooner. Didn't even have a chance to tele- 
phone to you. But we're as hungry as bears. I 
suppose there's a bite to eat." 

Then, seeing Rawlins, hat in hand, he continued, 
"Don't go, Rawlins. Soon as we've eaten we'll 
try to satisfy your curiosity and the boys' and," he 
added mischievously, "the wife's, even if she does 
say she hasn't any." 

"They're in mighty good spirits," declared Raw- 
lins when the three men had disappeared in the 
direction of the dining room. "So I guess every- 
thing's come out 0. K." 

"Yes, Fred's had a great load lifted from his 
mind, I know," agreed Mrs. Pauling, "and I'm 
very glad. I've really been worried about him 
lately." 

"Well, we'll soon know what 'tis," said Tom. 
"Gosh! I can scarcely wait." 

At last they heard the voices of the three men, 
laughing and chatting, as they left the dining 
room, and an instant later they entered the library. 

219 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Now I suppose you four want the truth, the 
whole truth and nothing but the truth," laughed 
Mr. Pauling, as he motioned the others to seats and 
settled himself in his own favorite chair. "I 
don't think there's much that I cannot reveal now — 
except a few matters which have no direct bearing 
or interest on the part you boys and Mr. Rawlins 
have played. Well, let's see. I guess I'd better 
begin at the garage — you know already that Hen- 
derson identified the prisoner and how we had a 
hunch that the affair centered in that block where 
the boys' radio compasses located the phantom 
speaker. I had an idea our men would have to 
surround the entire block and make a house-to- 
house search, but the rascals saved us that trouble. 
Evidently their friends had warned them that some- 
thing was wrong and Reilly's men arrived just in 
time. They found a truck just leaving the gar- 
age, and, remembering my orders to hold every 
one and everything that looked suspicious, they 
stopped the truck — when the driver put on speed 
as soon as he glimpsed the police. That was sus- 
picious and when they overhauled it they found 
it loaded with liquor. Inside the garage, they 

220 



THE CONFESSION 

found four more trucks and a crowd of men and 
Murphy here tells me they put up a mighty good 
fight. That, of course, drew a crowd and East Side 
crowds have no use for the blue coats. The re- 
sult was a free for all until another wagon arrived 
with reserves and in the fracas several of the men 
in the garage broke away and disappeared in the 
crowd. 

"However, they got six and found enough 
contraband liquor in the trucks and in a secret room 
under the floor to stock a dozen saloons. Most 
of it was in this hidden room or cell under the 
floor, and very cleverly hidden, too. Had a door 
formed by a false bottom to a repair pit and all 
they had to do was to run a truck over the pit 
as if being repaired and pass up the goods from 
below. There were other things in that room, too. 
About twenty-five thousands dollars' worth of furs 
and jewelry — all stolen here or hereabouts; opium 
to the value of a hundred thousand or so, to say 
nothing of morphine, cocaine and other drugs. 
In addition, there were several thousand copies of 
red propaganda circulars and pamphlets, a neat 
little engraving and printing plant and a second 

221 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

trapdoor that opened into the old sewer. And 
the radio set was there also. A receiving set — 
made in Germany by the way — and the transmis- 
sion outfit. That was the cleverest thing yet — ac- 
cording to Henderson who knows more about it 
than I do. He tells me the what-do-you-call-it — 
aerial — was a folding affair stretched across the 
inside of the roof and so arranged that it could be 
drawn back between the girders entirely out of 
sight. Now I don't know any of the technical part 
of this and I'll let Henderson explain it all to you 
boys later if you wish. But the main thing, as I 
understand it, was that they could send several 
thousand miles with the outfit on one kind of a 
wave or could talk to a person a few blocks away 
with another sort. At any rate, we never would 
have found that if we hadn't found the secret cell 
and the machine and a man at it. I'm not sur- 
prised Henderson's men never located it. 

"That's all about the garage. It was the head- 
quarters and clearing house of a dangerous gang of 
international cutthroats and rogues. They had 
been robbing right and left, carrying their loot in 
motor cars and trucks to the garage and hiding it 
i 222 



THE CONFESSION 

in the secret room. Then from there it had been 
carried in water-tight containers, like miniature 
submarines, through the old sewer to the submarine 
by the divers. Each time the submarine came in 
she brought a cargo of liquor, drugs, cigars, plumes, 
and other contraband and took away all the valu- 
ables and receipts from sales. The conversations 
you overheard were between those in the garage 
and other members of the gang, and the reason you 
boys did not hear the other speaker was because he 
used a radio telegraph instrument — that's right, 
isn't it, Henderson — and a very weak or short 
wave — let's see, a 'buzzer set' you called it, wasn't 
it? Well, you can get all that from Henderson, 
anyway." 

"But how on earth did you find all that out?" 
asked Rawlins, as Mr. Pauling ceased speaking 
to light a cigar. 

"Well, it took a little urging," replied Mr. 
Pauling. "Murphy and his men hinted to their 
prisoners that they'd been given the tip by the men 
on the submarine and so, of course, they told all 
they knew in the hope of getting lighter sentences 
and Henderson had the Russian up at his office with 

223 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

Ivan and let him think we knew all about him and 
the submarine through tips given by the other 
crowd. As a resuh, we got pretty complete infor- 
mation from both sides. But" — ^here Mr. Paul- 
ing lowered his voice and signaled for Murphy 
to stand guard at the door — "we couldn't get what 
we wanted from either the Russian or any of the 
gang at the garage. They'd tell us certain things 
— give us details and facts about matters of which 
we already knew — such as the means of communica- 
tion, the submarine, etc., but beyond that they 
would not go. 

"Short of torture I don't believe they'd let out 
a word. And we knew — we were positive — that 
back of it all was something deeper — a stupendous 
plot aimed at the very heart and life — the very 
existence of the United States and England. And 
we felt equally positive that back of this was an 
arch criminal or rather arch fiend — a man with 
a tremendous brain, almost unlimited power and 
marvelous resources. We could see many things 
which linked this petty smuggling, the hold-ups 
and burglaries, the n^jm-running and drug-im- 
porting with events of far greater importance. 

224 



THE CONFESSION 

But we had no proof, no evidence to go on. 
"Some of our men thought they knew who this 
head — this nucleus of the whole affair was but they 
could not be sure — they would not even dare men- 
tion his name — and so we were handicapped, work- 
ing in the dark. But now we do know. We know 
far more than I dare tell any one, than I dare 
think. The injured man has placed it all in our 
hands. It was the most astounding revelation I 
have ever known or ever expect to hear. I can- 
not tell you all — I did not even permit Murphy 
or the doctor to be by the man's bedside while he 
spoke and as soon as I knew he could speak and 
understand English I sent Ivan off, too. Only 
Henderson and I heard what he said. This man 
was — yes, I say 'was,' because he is dead — was 
one of those misguided men who plotted against 
England and became a tool of the Germans. He 
betrayed his cause and his leaders, and, despised, 
hunted for the traitor and coward that he was, not 
safe either in England, Ireland or Germany, he be- 
came a man without a country, an enemy of all 
organized governments, a fanatical 'red' and a 
trusted emissary of this arch criminal I referred to. 

225 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"When he became conscious he raved and cursed 
frightfully, swearing he had been betrayed and in 
his mad desire for vengeance — ^knowing he had but 
a few moments to live — told us as best he could 
with his scorched and blackened lips and tongue 
what we longed to know. It was unbelievable, 
incredible, more marvelous than Jules Verne's sto- 
ries, but true, we know, from the way it dovetails 
in with other facts in our possession. 

"Among other things, we learned that many mys- 
teriously missing ships — ^the many passenger and 
merchant vessels which never reached port — were 
deliberately sunk, torpedoed without warning and 
all survivors put to death in cold blood merely to 
secure the gold and other valuables on board. All 
this treasure, all the loot from robberies and crimes 
committed in the United States and abroad, all the 
receipts from smuggling and the sales of drugs and 
liquors were to swell the fund this master plotter 
was accumulating to accomplish his final purpose. 

"This he told us towards the last — ^when each 
breath was a mighty effort, when each word was 
wrung from him with torture — and he even tried to 
tell us where it was hidden, where this vast trea- 

226 



THE CONFESSION 

sure is concealed, cached, and where we might find 
the headquarters of this monster in human form. 
He was telling us and was striving, straining to 
give us the location. He had mentioned the locality 
in a general way, was giving us the latitude and 
longitude and had gasped out three figures when 
he died — the words unfinished, the secret sealed 
within his lips and — most important of all, with 
the name of that ruthless, relentless master-fiend 
unspoken." 

The boys' eyes had grown round with wonder 
as Mr. Pauling was speaking. Mrs. Pauling leaned 
forward, her face flushed, her lips parted. Raw- 
lins had remained as silent, as immovable as if 
carved in stone, and even Mr. Henderson and 
Murphy had been so engrossed, so interested, al- 
though they knew the story as well as Mr. Pauling, 
that they had allowed their cigars to go out. 

"Jehoshaphat!" exclaimed Tom, when his father 
ceased speaking. "Gosh! We did butt into 
something worth while!" 

"Oh, Gee!" ejaculated Frank in disappointed 
tones. "Then you don't know where that treasure 
is after all!." 

* 227 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"No," replied Mr. Pauling, "not within several 
hundred miles. But the treasure is not the im- 
portant thing, it's the man himself we want." 

Rawlins rose, his eyes shone with unwonted bril- 
liancy, his face was flushed. 

"I'll say that's some day's work!" he cried. 
"But I'll bet we can get that loot — and that whole 
bunch of crooks, too. I've a scheme, Mr. Pauling, 
but I want a little time to think it over and get my 
brain straightened out. There's been too much 
crowded into it during the last ten hours." 

Mr. Pauling stared at Rawlins as if he thought 
he might have taken leave of his senses. Then, 
realizing that Rawlins was in earnest, he said 
quietly, "All right, Rawlins. I don't know what 
your scheme may be, but I'll be glad to hear it 
whenever you're ready. Call me up and we'll hear 
it when you have it worked out. We owe you 
more than I can express to you now." 

A moment later Rawlins had gone and hardly 
had his footsteps died away when the telephone 
tinkled. 

"Yes!" exclaimed Mr. Pauling as he listened. 
"Remarkable! Absolutely deserted! Well, I 

228 



THE CONFESSION 

guess that chapter's closed. Thanks for letting me 
know." 

"Sorry Rawlins has gone," declared Mr. Pauling 
as he hung up the receiver and wheeled about. 
"That was the Admiral calling. One of the de- 
stoyers has found the submarine!" 

"Gosh! then they've caught more of the gang!" 
cried Tom. 

"That's the astounding part of it," replied his 
father. "She was found drifting, her upper works 
just awash, about one hundred miles out to sea 
and not a living soul on board her!" 



CHAPTER XIII 
RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

WHEN Rawlins called on Mr. Pauling 
the following day the first thing that 
greeted him was the announcement 
that the submarine had been found. 

So excited were the boys that for some time 
they could not convey an intelligible idea of the 
matter and before Rawlins could grasp the de- 
tails of the discovery they were plying him with 
questions as to his opinion in regard to it. 

"What do you think became of the men?" cried 
Tom. 

"Do you suppose it was their boat?" demanded 
Frank. 

"How do you think it got so far away, if it's 
theirs?" put in Tom. 

"We puzzled over it for hours last night and no 
one can explain it," declared Frank. 

"Easy, boys, easy!" laughed Rawlins. "One 
230 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

thing at a time. Shorten sails a bit and let me 
get my bearings. You say the destroyer found a 
submarine floating just awash and absolutely de- 
serted one hundred miles oflf the coast? I don't 
believe it was that sub!" 

"Could you identify it by a description — any- 
thing about it?" asked Mr. Pauling. 

"Well, I don't know," admitted Rawlins. "I 
know it was a German sub and I'd recognize it 
if I saw it; but whether I can 'be sure of it 
by a description depends upon the descrip- 
tion." 

"They're towing her in," Mr. Pauling informed 
him. "She was disabled and unable to come in 
under her own power. Until she arrives all we 
know is that she is a German boat — one of the 
medium-sized craft — that she carries torpedoes and 
a gun and that she is painted sea-green." 

"Fits her like an Easter bonnet," declared Raw- 
lins. "Under water I could not be sure of her 
color, but it was not black or gray — everything 
takes on a greenish look under water. Did they 
find anything suspicious on her?" 

"That I can't say," replied Mr. Pauling. "They 
' 231 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

didn't report whether they made any discoveries or 
not." 

"But if it is the submarine, where are the men?" 
reiterated Tom. 

"Search me," replied Rawlins. "A lot of things 
may have happened to them. Something may have 
gone wrong so they were obliged to come up and 
knowing they would be captured they took the 
sub's boats. Or again, they may have decided 
to desert the sub and scatter — probably they knew 
the chaps we got, and suspected they'd confess. 
It would have been an easy matter to run in close 
to shore, take to the boats and land and then sink 
the boats in shallow water so as to leave no trace. 
Or some ship might have picked them up. By the 
way, I've been puzzling over something. How do 
you suppose that sub got in and out of the West 
Indies without being seen and reported. If she 
carried contraband in and loot out she must have 
gone to some port." 

"Why, didn't I explain that?" asked Mr. Paul- 
ing. "Must have slipped my mind when relating 
the story yesterday. The prisoner told us how 
they managed. The submarine never entered any 

232 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

port — unless you consider the hiding place of the 
chief of the gang a port — but picked up her car- 
goes in mid-ocean." 

"Oh, I see, transferred them from another ship, 
eh?" said Rawlins. "Stupid of me not to think 
of it." 

"Not quite right yet, Rawlins," chuckled Mr. 
Pauling. "It was this way. A vessel would sail 
from a West Indian port with a cargo and would 
drop it overboard at a designated spot. Then the 
submarine would pick it up. If they had trans- 
ferred on the surface they might have been seen 
and rough weather would have interfered. More- 
over, if those on the schooners saw the submarine 
or knew of her they might have talked. They im- 
agined the things were to be grappled or brought 
up by divers. The head of this bunch takes no 
chances." 

"Ah, now I see a light dawning!" exclaimed 
Rawlins. "I think that solves several puzzles. 
You remember those messages you boys heard? 
Well, they always, or nearly always, included num- 
bers — 'thirty-eight fifty, seventy-seven' was one, I 
believe — and 'good bottom' and similar things. I 

233 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

often wondered about those, but I'll bet those were 
the spots where the sub was to find cargoes dumped. 
Hasn't that Russian Johnny come across with any- 
thing more about the high Muck-a-Muck of the 
bunch and where he hangs out?" 

"No, I had another long session with him, but 
he swears he knows nothing about it and for once 
I am inclined to think he is telling the truth," re- 
plied Mr. Pauling. "He insists that he never vis* 
ited the place — ^never saw the chief and does not 
even know who he is — except that all spoke of him 
as of a supreme heing or a king. His story is 
that only a few men — ^just enough to man the sub- 
marine — including the fellow who died, went to 
headquarters. That the others, including himself, 
were always put ashore at a small island in the 
West Indies where they had a camp and that they 
walked to the island from the submarine and from 
the shore to their under-sea craft in diving suits." 

"That's a probable yarn," assented Rawlins. 
"Did he tell you the name of the island?" 

"He says he doesn't know it himself, that 
there were a few natives there when he first ar- 
rived, but that imder orders from their super- 

234 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

riors they murdered the blacks in cold blood." 

"Dirty swine, I'll say!" exclaimed Rawlins. 
"Well, I know the West Indies a lot better than I 
know New York and if we can squeeze some sort of 
a description from old pig-eye I'll wager I can 
locate that hangout. But now about that other 
business — those messages — have you got the notes 
you made of them, boys?" 

"Sure," replied Tom. "At least, Mr. Henderson 
has. We gave them all to him." 

"Well, we'll need 'em if Mr. Pauling thinks my 
proposition all right," said Rawlins. "I hadn't 
got it quite settled as to details when I came in, but 
the capture of that sub — if she is the one — has 
cleared it all up." 

"I can tell you better what I think of any pro- 
posal you may have after I have heard it," said 
Mr. Pauling. 

"All right, here goes," laughed Rawlins. "You 
see from what you told us about that dead fel- 
low's confession, I am pretty sure the big 'I am' of 
the bunch is hanging out somewhere in the West 
Indies. You said he was giving you the place 
and had mentioned three figures of latitude and 

235 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

longitude when he kicked off. Now I don't know 
what those figures are, but there are not such an 
everlasting lot of combinations of figures in the 
islands — that is, where a man could have a secret 
hangout — and I know 'em like a book — better 
than any book in fact — and if I had those figures 
I'll bet I can locate the old Buckaroo. Not only 
that, but with my suits and the boys' radio and 
my submarine chamber — the same as I use for tak- 
ing under-sea pictures — ^we could get the loot and 
everything else if he's got any of it under water. 
"I rather figured, from what you said, that 
might be where he'd hide it, especially as he seems 
stuck on under-sea work. Why, if the old cove 
himself had a house under the sea I could find him! 
If they used this new-fangled radio under water 
up here you can bet your boots the old guy's using 
it where he hangs out and if we're any place near 
we can pick him up and the boys can locate him 
with that radio compass business. You see he 
probably won't be wise to any one else being on to 
the radio business. I was afraid that sub might 
get back and give it away, but the chances are that 
if the men aboard her got ashore they either won't 

236 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

dare show up down there and will just fade away 
or else we can beat 'em to it. 

"Taking that sub gave me another idea and a 
good one. We can fix up the old boat and go scout- 
ing for old Stick-in-the-mud in that. If he or any 
of his gang see her they'll think it's all right and 
that their gang's still in her. I know a pretty good 
lot about handling a sub and we can pick up a few 
good ex-navy men I know. Now don't you think 
that's a corking good scheme, Mr. Pauling?" 

Mr. Pauling hestitated, thinking deeply, before 
he spoke. 

"It has its good points," he admitted at last, 
"but it's rather a wild scheme — just what I should 
expect from a boy who'll tackle two strangers and 
a submarine single-handed under water — and 
there's not one chance in ten thousand that it will 
succeed. You see, the West Indies are a pretty 
good-sized place and you'd have to go by guess 
work a great deal, even with the figures the man 
gave us. However, I'm willing to aid and abet the 
scheme, as any chance — ^no matter how remote — of 
getting that arch fiend is worth trying. I can get 
the submarine without trouble and can secure men 

237 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

who can be depended upon, but who's going with 
you on your wild-goose or wild-man chase?" 

"Why, we are!" cried Tom and Frank in unison. 

"The dickens you are!" exclaimed Mr. Pauling. 
"I should say not!" 

The boys' faces fell. "Oh, Dad, please let us 
go," begged Tom. "It will be great — going in a 
submarine and trying to find that fellow with our 
Tadio. Why won't you let us go?" 

"Too much risk," replied his father. "I've had 
one fright over you and that's enough." 

"Well, that rather knocks out my plans, too," 
declared Rawlins. "I'd counted on the boys go- 
ing to work the radio end of it — seems kind of 
hard on them to let some one else do it after they 
invented the thing and were responsible for getting 
the men and the sub. If it hadn't been for them 
I'd never have got 'em, as it was their hearing Tom 
yell for help that made 'em surrender, and you'd 
never have thought of that block and the garage if 
they hadn't located those messages with their radio 
compasses. I don't think there's any danger, Mr. 
Pauling." 

"I don't agree with you," declared Mr. Pauling 
238 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

in positive tones. "If you go after that man there's 
every danger. You can't tell what force he may 
have or how an attempt to capture him might turn 
out." 

"But I had no idea of attempting to get him 
alone," replied Rawlins in surprise. "My plan 
was to have a trim little destroyer right handy and 
then, when we'd located Mr. Big Bug, we'd report 
to the jackies and let them do the dirty work. The 
boys wouldn't have to be where there was any 
scrapping going on and that old ex-German sub is 
never going to be my cofiin if I can help it, I'll tell 
the world. No, sir, my idea was just to do the 
scouting, so to speak — secret service under the 
sea — and let the boys be in on the preliminary in- 
telligence work running the secret service of the 
air as you might say." 

"Well, I suppose in that case there would be 
little risk," admitted Mr. Pauling, "and as you say, 
they are really the ones who should be allowed to 
have charge of their own apparatus as they have 
earned the right to it. I'll have to give a little 
more consideration to the matter before I decide, 
however. Possibly I may wish to go along also — 

239 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

or I may be asked to, when I put this matter be- 
fore my superiors. Now here are those figures 
given by the dying man and the notes made by 
the boys." 

Unlocking a drawer, Mr. Pauling took out a 
packet of papers and spread them before Raw- 
lins, while the two boys, now that events had 
Itaken a more hopeful and promising turn, laughed 
and talked excitedly to each other, wildly enthu- 
siastic at the bare possibility of going on the unique 
search. 

For a few minutes Rawlins studied the various 
sheets intently and silently, comparing the figures 
which the boys had heard spoken and the ones 
given by the dying Irishman, and at last he glanced 
up. 

"These numbers of the boys' will need a lot of 
study," he declared, "but these the chap in the 
hospital gave are dead easy. One of 'em is nine- 
teen and as there's no longitude nineteen in the 
West Indies, or within two thousand miles of the 
islands, it must be latitude, so there we have a clue 
right out of the box — ^nineteen north latitude. Now 
if we take a map and follow along nineteen we'll 

24« 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

know it must be within a few miles of it that we'll 
locate old Beelzebub. It can't be over sixty miles 
north of that meridian or the man would have said 
twenty instead of nineteen, and it can't be south 
of it or he'd have said eighteen and something. 
So we can be dead sure the old duck hits the hay 
somewhere in a sixty-mile belt bounded by me- 
ridians nineteen and twenty. Now here are the 
other two numbers — sixty and seventy-five. You 
say he sort of lost consciousness between these and 
you thought he said southwest by south. Well, 
sixty might be longitude — the sixtieth meridian is 
in the West Indies — ^but he might have meant sixty 
anything and so, if it is longitude he was getting 
at, it brings us down to a space six hundred miles 
east and west and sixty miles north and south — 
quite a considerable bit of land and water to 
search — about 36,000 square miles — ^but only a 
little of it's land, so it don't cut such a figure. 
That'll take in — let's see — some of the Virgins, I 
think, and a lot of little cays and quite a bit of 
Santo Domingo, but shucks, that's not such a heap. 
But I'll admit this seventy-five gets my nanny. It's 
not minutes — 'cause there are only sixty minutes to 

241 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

a degree and it's a dead sure cinch that it's not 
latitude or longitude if those other numbers are, 
and if it's latitude it would be in the Arctic instead 
of the Caribbean and if it's longitude it'll knock 
calculations out for about a thousand miles and 
will take in all of Santo Domingo and Haiti, a bit 
of Cuba and most of the Bahamas. Looks as if 
we might have some jaunt. And I don't get those 
compass bearings. However, maybe when they get 
that sub in and search her we'll find some chart or 
something. When do you expect " 

At this moment the telephone rang and Mr. 
Pauling answered. 

"Ah, fine!" he exclaimed. "Expect to be in 
within an hour! Yes, I'd be glad to. I'm bring- 
ing some others with me — Mr. Rawlins and the 
boys. Yes, queer we were just talking of it. 
Good." 

"It was the navy yard," explained Mr. Pauling 
as he hung up the receiver. "They say the sub- 
marine is coming in now and will be at the yard in 
half an hour. The Admiral wants me to be on 
hand to board her as soon as she arrives and I'd 
like you and the boys to come along." 

242 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

"Hurrah!" yelled the two boys. "Now we'll 
see what they had on her." 

"And we'll know if she's the right sub," added 
Rawlins. "Though it's dollars to doughnuts that 
she is — it's not likely there's more than one lost, 
strayed or stolen sub knocking about in these 
waters." 

When they reached the Navy Yard the submarine 
was just being docked and twenty minutes later 
they were entering her open hatch. The boys had 
never been within a submarine before and were 
intensely interested in the machinery, the submerg- 
ing devices, the air-locks and the torpedo tubes, but 
their greatest interest was in the radio room. But 
here, much to their chagrin and disappointment, 
they found practically nothing. There were a 
few wires, some discarded old-fashioned coils, 
some microphones and receivers and a loop aerial. 
Everything else had been removed and nothing was 
left to show what sort of instruments had been 
used. The boys were about to leave when Tom 
noticed something haiK^hiddeh under a coil of 
wire, and, curious to see what it might be, pulled 
it out. 

243 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"Gosh!" he exclaimed as he saw what it was. 
"These chaps were using that same single control. 
This is part of it. Look, Frank, the dial is just 
the same as the one Mr. Henderson gave us." 

"Gee, that's right!" agreed Frank. "But then," 
he added, "after all it's not surprising. You know 
Mr. Henderson said the one he gave us came from 
a German U-boat." 

"Not a thing in the radio room," announced 
Tom, as the boys rejoined Mr. Pauling. "Every- 
thing's stripped clean, but they used the same sort 
of tuner that Mr. Henderson gave us. Where's 
Mr. Rawlins?" 

"Somewhere under our feet," laughed his father. 
"He went down to examine the hull. Wants to be 
sure this is the same boat." 

A few moments later the door to the air-lock 
was opened and Rawlins appeared. 

"I'll say it's the same old sub!" he exclaimed. 
"There's a dent in her skin near the stem on the 
port side. I noticed it before and it's there all 
right. Found anything up here?" 

"No, nothing of any value to us," replied Mr. 
Pauling. "The boys say the radio's been stripped 

244 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

from her and we haven't been able to find a chart 
or a map or a scrap of paper aboard. We found 
two of those carriers though — the cigar-shaped 
affairs you saw the divers towing through the 
water; but they're both empty. If these fellows 
took anything from the garage they disposed of it 
before they left the submarine." 

"Were the boats on her when they found her?" 
asked Rawlins. 

"No, no sign of them," replied the officer who 
was with them. "I boarded her first thing, but 
there was no sign of life aboard and no boats." 

"It's darned funny!" commented Rawlins. "If 
these lads took to the boats they did it deliberately 
and took mighty good care to clean the old sub out 
before they left. That disposes of the theory that 
they were compelled to leave. Do you know what 
the trouble was with her machinery, Commander?" 

"Haven't found out yet," replied the officer. 
"We'll have the engineers aboard as soon as Mr. 
Pauling is through inspection." 

"Didn't see any signs of small boats near where 
you found her, did you?" inquired Rawlins. 

The officer shook his head. 
245 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

"No," he replied, "but it was pretty dark and 
they might have been within a few miles — very 
low visibility." 

"And no other vessel that might have picked 
them up?" continued Rawlins. 

"Not a sail in sight — except a fishing smack 
about ten miles oflf. We ran down to her and 
boarded her. Thought they might have sighted the 
sub, or picked up the men. They hadn't done 
either. Bunch of square-heads that didn't seem to 
know what a sub was, just dirty fishermen." 

"Dead sure they were?" asked Rawlins. "Didn't 
notice where she hailed from, did you?" 

The officer flushed. 

"Afraid we didn't," he admitted, a trace of re- 
sentment at being questioned in his tones. "She 
hoisted sail soon after we left her." 

"And nothing peculiar about her in any way, I 
suppose?" suggested Mr. Pauling. 

"Well, I didn't see anything," replied the com- 
mander, "but I believe one of my bluejackets made 
some remark about her rig. He's a bo'sun's mate 
and an old man-o-warsman — Britisher but natural- 
ized citizen and served in the British navy. Would 

246 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

you like to question him? I'm no expert on sail- 
ing craft myself." 

"Better talk to him, Rawlins," suggested Mr. 
Pauling. 

As there seemed nothing more to be discovered 
on the submarine the party left the under-sea craft 
and walked to the destroyer which had found her. 
The sailor to whom the officer had referred proved 
to be a grizzled old salt — a typical deep-sea sailor 
and the boys could not take their eyes from him. 
Touching his gray forelock in salute, the man 
hitched his trousers, squinted one eye and reflec- 
tively scratched his head just over his left ear. 

"Yes, Sir," he said, in reply to Mr. Rawlins* 
question. "She was a bit queer, Sir. Blow me ef 
she warn't. Man an' boy Hi've been a sailorin' 
most thirty year an' strike me if Hi ever seed a 
Yankee smack the like o' her. Sir. What was it 
was queer about her, you're askin' on me? Well, 
Sir, 'twas like this. Sir. She had a bit too much 
rake to her marsts. Sir, an' a bit too high a dead- 
rise an' her starn warn't right an' her cutwater was 
diff''rent an' her cuddy. She carried a couple o' 
little kennels to port and sta'board o' her compan- 

247 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

ion-way, Sir — same as those bloomin' West Hin- 
dian packets, Sir. An' as you know. Sir, most 
Yankee smacks carry main torpmas's and no fore- 
torpmas' while this e'er hooker was sportin' o' 
sticks slim an' lofty as a yacht's. Sir, an' a jibboom 
what was a sprung a bit down, Sir. But what got 
my bally goat. Sir, was the crew. Mos' of 'em was 
Scandinav'ans, Sir, but the skipper was a mu- 
latter or somethin' o' that specie. Sir, an' blow me 
hif he didn't talk with a haccent what might ha' 
been learnt at Wapping, Sir." 

Rawlins whistled. 

"I'll say there was something queer about her!" 
he exclaimed. "Anything else? Did you note 
her name and port?" 

Once more the old sailor scratched his head and 
shifted the tobacco in his cheek before replying. 

"Cawn't say as how Hi did, Sir," he announced 
at last. "You see, Sir, she had her mainsail low- 
ered. Sir, and a hangin' a bit sloppy over her stem, 
Sir, an' we was alongside an' didn't pass under 
her stern. Sir." 

What sort of boats did she carry and how 
many?" asked Rawlins. 

248 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

"Dories, Sir, six of 'em," replied the sailor, 
"anything more, Sir?" 

"No, I think that's all. Thanks for the infor- 
mation," replied Rawlins and then, reaching in his 
pocket he handed the man several cigars. 

Touching his forelock again and with a final 
hitch of his trousers the sailor turned and strolled 
off with the rolling gait of the true deep-water 
seaman. 

"Well, what do you make of it?" asked Mr. 
Pauling, when the sailor was out of earshot. 

"I'll say it's blamed funny that packet was hang- 
ing around near the sub," replied Rawlins. "It 
might be a coincidence — Bahama smacks do come 
pretty well up here during the summer — and she 
might have been a rum-runner, but putting two 
and two together I'd say she was waiting for the 
sub and that the crew were on board her when the 
destroyer came up." 

"Jove!" ejaculated Mr. Pauling. "Then you 
think she was a West Indian boat?" 

"I don't think, I know!" answered Rawlins. "A 
Bahama schooner — not any doubt of that. Only 
Caribbean craft carry those two deck-houses and 

249 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

that sprung jib-boom and the darkey skipper with 
the English accent just clinches it. I'll bet those 
square-heads were Russian Johnnies or Huns oflf 
this dam sub. Say, if we don't get a move on 
they'll beat us to the islands yet!" 

"Gosh!" exclaimed Tom. "I'll bet they took 
their radio outfit aboard." 

"I'll say they did!" declared Rawlins. "And 
like as not they'll be under full sail for the Carib- 
bean by now and working that radio overtime to 
get word to the old High Panjandrum down 
there." 

"Not if I know it!" cried Mr. Pauling. "Come 
along, Rawlins. I'm going to see the Admiral." 

The result of that hurried and exceedingly con- 
fidential interview was that, as the boys and Mr. 
Rawlins were crossing the Manhattan Bridge in Mr. 
Pauling's car, they looked down and saw a lean, 
gray destroyer sweeping down the river with two 
others in her wake, black smoke pouring from 
their funnels, great mounds of foam about their 
bows and screeching an almost incessant warning 
from their sirens as they sped seawards bearing 
orders to overhaul and capture a Bahama schooner 

250 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

that, under a cloud of canvas, was plunging south- 
ward on the farther edge of the Gulf Stream, her 
mulatto skipper driving his craft to her utmost, 
while aloft two monkeylike negro seamen were 
busily stretching a pair of slender wires between 
the straining lofty topmasts. 

Two days later, a black-hulled liner steamed 
out from New York's harbor and dropping her 
pilot also headed southward for the Bahamas. 
Upon her decks stood Tom and Frank with Mr. 
Pauling and Mr. Henderson by their sides, while 
in the Navy Yard, with a marine guard tramp- 
ing ceaselessly back and forth about her, a sub- 
marine was being feverishly fitted for a long 
cruise. 

After much discussion, Mr. Pauling had at last 
given consent to the boys joining in the search for 
the mysterious master mind whose plans had so far 
come to grief through their efforts, although he re- 
fused to consider letting them go south on the 
captured submarine. But the boys had no objec- 
tions to this, for they did not look forward with any 
pleasure to an ocean voyage in the sub-sea boat 
and were filled with excitement at the thoughts of 

251 



THE RADIO DETECTIVES 

the adventures in store for them when they joined 
Rawlins and the submarine at a prearranged meet- 
ing place in the Bahamas. 

As they watched the skyline of New York fade 
into the mists of the summer afternoon and the 
smooth gray-green sea stretched before them beyond 
the Narrows, they were thinking of the adventures 
which had so strangely fallen to their lot in the 
great city and Tom chuckled. 

"Remember when we first called ourselves radio 
detectives?" he asked Frank. "Gosh! we never 
thought we'd even strike anything the way we 
did." 

"You bet I do!" rejoined Frank. "Say, wasn't 
Henry sore because he couldn't go and wasn't he 
crazy to find out what we were going for? It's 
great! And we're real radio detectives now — 
working for Uncle Sam, too!" 

"Rather, I should say, 'radio secret service,' " 
said Mr. Henderson who stood beside them. "But 
don't talk about it. Remember the first thing for 
a person in this service to learn is to hear every- 
thing, see everything and say nothing." 

"We wiU!" declared the boys in unison. 
252 



RAWLINS' PROPOSAL 

"That'll be our motto!" added Tom. "Isn't it 
a bully one?" 

"As Mr. Rawlins would say, 'I'll say it is'!" 

said Frank. 

(1) 

THE END 



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